


V-Men

by Elvendara



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Action, F/M, M/M, Mystic Messenger X-Men Crossover, NSFW, Violence, Yooran, death perhaps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2018-12-15 12:36:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11806122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elvendara/pseuds/Elvendara
Summary: Mystic Messenger X-Men AUSaeyoung: GambitMC: RogueYoosung: Ice ManJaehee: MystiqueZen: CyclopsSaeran: PyroV: Professor X VVanderwood: WolverineJumin: AngelSaeyoung, MC, Yoosung, Jumin, and Zen are X-men under Professor V as the head. Professor V is blind instead of paralyzed.Jaehee and Saeran are part of Magneto’s group.Vanderwood is a free agent, doing as he pleases according to his own preferences.Rika is the head of the government agency that is tracking and covertly eliminating mutants, good or bad. Humanity First.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of a mulit-fic X-Men AU for the Mystic Messenger gang. I'm super excited about this crossover. I hope it is enjoyable for you to read, as it has been for me to write!

Professor V set his cane on the conference table and sat at the head. He heard the others sit around him. Their minds bobbing waves of energy and thoughts. He stayed clear of entering, as per usual, he did not eavesdrop on people’s inner thoughts unless the need was great. Most times he entered it was because that mind cried out for help. As the others settled he read their moods out of habit.

Saeyoung was bright, his energy vast and tightly contained. He could tell he was playing with a deck of cards, even if he couldn’t see him. He heard the crackle of energy that infused the small rectangles, passing from his fingers to the card and back. He also heard his heavy boots hitting the table as he leaned back on the chair. Professor V sighed and shook his head, it would do no good to remind him the table was no place for feet. Saeyoung was the same as always, hiding his insecurities behind his humor and smiles. His mutation had manifested early, he had not even been 10 yet. He quickly learned how to use it to steal. Mostly food, as his mother was an alcoholic who rarely remembered that she was a mother. Professor V had found him attempting to break into a vehicle. He had seen great potential in the boy, and decided to help him develop his abilities outside of the academy before bringing him in when he had grown into a more stable man.

There were still many issues that Saeyoung unfortunately still had to deal with, but, together, they worked on them. There were days when Saeyoung was so crippled by depression that he could not even tumble out of bed. Those days had become shorter and shorter, however, Professor V hoped that what he was about to ask of him, would not set his recovery back.

Yoosung sat to his left, he seemed amused, Professor V could vaguely see that he watched Saeyoung, who sat across from him, they were particularly close. Yoosung’s mind was strong, his passion stronger. He was well liked by the students, even though he was barely much older than them. He had also been the butt of many pranks. His youthfulness, innocence, and trusting nature making him an easy target. While the pranks had died down, because it just became too easy and cruel to trick the blonde, Saeyoung still enjoyed playing his own practical jokes on him. Unlike Saeyoung, Yoosung’s cheerfulness was genuine. He enjoyed teaching the children and often had very deep and meaningful conversations with them. They trusted he would keep their confidence and that he would listen with empathy. Professor V was glad that he had asked Yoosung to stay at the academy as a teacher once he himself had graduated. There was a special place in his heart for the young man.

Yoosung was perhaps the only member who had been blessed with a good upbringing and descent parents. He had been happy and intelligent as a young boy. Well on his way to a great career when his mutation showed itself. Instead of being frightened, his parents suggested Professor V’s academy so that he could learn how to control it, and, keep up with his studies. However, Yoosung had changed his views once he began at the academy. Enjoying the structure and the atmosphere of safety for all children. He had accepted immediately when Professor V asked him to stay. He was eager to do for others, what was done for him. Professor V smiled and reached out to squeeze Yoosung’s arm in comradery. Yoosung’s shining face turned towards him and he tapped on his hand, letting him know he felt the same about him.

Zen sat next to Yoosung, his mood perturbed. If Professor V had to guess, the mood was probably due to Jumin. Those two had yet to get along, Zen often threatening to use his laser eyes on Jumin’s wings. He was breathing heavily as he sat down, crossing his arms. He could imagine Zen glaring at Jumin through his shielded goggles, his lips pursed and huffing. Professor V grinned at the stunning figure he must cut with his long flowing white locks, his high cheekbones, and wide shoulders. He could hear Zen’s teeth grinding in his jaw. No matter, whatever face the man made, he was still beautiful. Professor V had been unsure when he had added the man to his organization. He had been afraid that he was too conceited and narcissistic to integrate well. However, during the interview, Zen had confided in him that he had wanted to become an actor when he was younger. He was an excellent actor, singer, and dancer. Professor V had seen video of him as a boy. Had his mutation not manifested, he had no doubt the albino would have become a star. Unfortunately, all those dreams died on the night his eyes cut through his bedroom, destroying his house. He had been dropped off at the academy at 13, his parents not willing to take care of him any longer. They felt that he had brought dishonor to them.

He had retained his swagger, his beauty, his charm during school. But, during his interview, he had dropped all his walls and showed his true self to Professor V. He was still that scared little boy that was unwanted. It was what drove him to find love. He had indeed integrated well with most of the teachers, except for Jumin. It still gave Professor V a headache. Jumin did not make things easy either.

As Jumin sat next to Saeyoung and across from Zen, Professor V heard the rustling of his black wings. He would spread them so that they lay to each side of the chair and he would not crush them beneath him. He leaned back, placing his hands on the table ever so softly. His breathing was even and steady. Whatever had transpired between Jumin and Zen, it had not affected the stoic man as much as it had affected Zen. Professor V did catch a feeling of annoyance from the man, but he was impressed by how perfectly Jumin held his emotions in. There were times he wished that he was not so good at it. They had grown up together, discovering their mutations about the same time. They had each kept their secrets from others, knowing that there could be consequences they were not ready to face.

Unfortunately, Jumin’s wings grew too big for him to hide them. His father had had him home schooled from the moment he had found out. He hired one maid and one tutor and had them sign non-disclosure agreements. Jumin loved his father, but, their relationship had been strained ever since. He had also tried to forbid Jumin from forming the academy with V. He saw it as beneath his station. Jumin had walked away from his family, away from his money, away from his name, becoming Angel.

“We’re all here Professor.” Saeyoung yelled, moving his hand in front of the Professor’s eyes. Professor V turned and pushed Saeyoung’s hand down. “I’m not completely blind Saeyoung, I can tell everyone is here, even without eyes as you well know.” He grinned.

Saeyoung chuckled and leaned back in his chair once more, throwing his feet onto the table as well. Professor V took his cane and shoved at his ankle until his feet hit the floor. Saeyoung only chuckled more, leaning over the table and shuffling his cards on the surface.

“Do you have to keep doing that?” Zen asked, his arms still crossed and his mood still bad.

“No.” was the sharp answer, as Saeyoung continued to shuffle.

Yoosung giggled, then covered his mouth. Zen backhanded him lightly on the shoulder and Yoosung just shrugged.

“Alright, listen up, this is important. Humanity First is at it again. They’ve taken someone with tremendous strength, she won’t be alive for long. Her psychic scream was deafening. I was able to gather some information before her mind was closed off completely. Either by her own design, which I doubt, or by outward means. Her name is MC, her alias is Rogue. Currently she has the telepathic power, a strong one.”

“What do you mean ‘currently’?” Jumin asked, leaning forward, elbows on the table, arms crossed.

“It seems as if her mutant power is the ability to steal other mutant’s powers, or, sadly, the life of humans.”

Yoosung gasped, his hands covering his mouth. “That sounds awful.” He said.

“Indeed. I had Saeyoung do some research, she has been on her own for a little over four years now. Apparently, her powers manifested during an intimate encounter with her boyfriend. A single kiss was enough to drain him of his life force.”

“She killed him?” Yoosung gasped again. He couldn’t imagine killing anyone. Although he had the power to do just that, it was not something he ever contemplated seriously.

“I’m afraid so, people were afraid of her after that, including her own parents, so she ran away before they could put her in an institution. I’m not sure how she has survived up till now, but having done so for this many years, speaks of a great mind.”

“Do you know where they took her? Which facility?” Jumin asked.

“No, but we’ve narrowed it down to three.”

“How are we supposed to figure it out? We can’t just go in and check all of them.” Zen responded.

“No, we can’t, but I know someone who can.” Professor V answered. “Saeyoung has worked his magic and has all the details we need. I’ve had him create credentials that mimic an employee at each facility. And, I have arranged for those individuals to have a week off vacation. There will be no duplicate security pings. Saeyoung, I want you and Yoosung to go to Battalion Square, someone will meet you there with more information. Once you have ascertained which facility the girl is in, I will send the rest of the team to your location so that you can come up with a plan of attack.”

“Who are we meeting with?” Saeyoung asked.

“You’ll see, that will be all for now, I suggest you two get going, or you will be late.”

“Professor!” Saeyoung stood and pressed the Professor.

He sighed and placed a hand on Saeyoung’s shoulder, “Just, go Saeyoung. Trust me.”

“Why Yoosung? Shouldn’t I take Zen? Or Jumin? They are more intimidating. No offense Yoosung.” Yoosung blushed and ducked his head. He wasn’t wrong. Yoosung was as intimidating as a wet cloth.

“Because you and Yoosung work much better together. And, he can be a calming element. You’re going to need that.”

Saeyoung’s lips thinned out but he nodded. He was not wrong. There was something about Yoosung that made his crazy take a hike. He grabbed his cards and tucked them into his trench coat, he motioned for Yoosung to follow him and grabbed his staff as he headed out the door.

“Who do you think it is?” Yoosung asked.

Saeyoung clenched his teeth, “My brother.” He breathed out.

“Oh!” Yoosung had never met Saeyoung’s brother, but he knew that they had not parted under good terms. “But, but that means…”

“We’ll be working with Magneto again, yes. This new agency is a threat to all mutants, but I still don’t trust Magneto’s team.”

“Neither do I.” Yoosung agreed.

Saeyoung was already lost in thought. Remembering his youth, when Professor V had come into his life. He had brought Saeran with him to all their meetings, but his twin had not been very interested in learning how to control his own mutation. No matter what Professor V tried, Saeran was already too broken to care. Their mother had always been harsher on him than on Saeyoung. No real reason for it either. When they turned 16 Saeyoung had brought home a lopsided cake he had bought for cheap at the local bakery. He had set two candles on it and they had been singing happy birthday to each other when their mother walked in and sent the cake flying, she cackled at them when she saw their faces.

Saeran had set her on fire before Saeyoung could react. Saeyoung pushed her down and rolled her around to set the fire out. But the look on Saeran’s face would haunt him for the rest of his life. He’d called 911 and taken Saeran. They’d left everything behind. They ended up at the academy’s doorstep and Professor V took them in, never asking questions. It had not taken long for Magneto’s message to lure Saeran away.

They made their way to the underground garage and Saeyoung retracted his staff until it was no longer than twelve inches, he tucked it away next to his cards. He jumped into his convertible and Yoosung got into the passenger side. There were days when Saeyoung wished he had a cool traveling power, but, being behind the wheel of his sports cars was exhilarating in and of itself. He glanced over at Yoosung, at 21 he was still so much like a child. He wore ripped blue jeans and a white t-shirt with blue and yellow horizontal stripes. There were two hair clips that held his bangs away from his large amethyst eyes. The car was not moving and Yoosung looked over at Saeyoung.

“What?” he asked, his voice high pitched and sweet. Saeyoung grinned.

“Nothing, let’s go.” Yoosung put his seatbelt on and glanced at Saeyoung, he ran a hand over his yellow locks and wondered what it was that Saeyoung had been looking at. He was well aware that he did not quite measure up to the rest of the V-Men. He was the youngest, but it was more than that, he lacked any kind of experience. He only hoped that he would not let the team down, or Professor V.

They made it to the square in no time, Saeyoung ignoring all driving laws, Yoosung’s hair windblown and messy. He had also lost a hairclip along the way. He groaned as he looked at himself in the mirror, trying to make one hairclip work. He sighed and gave up, sliding it out of his hair and tossing it into the center console. His hair immediately flopped over his left eye and he blew at it to no avail. Saeyoung laughed and ruffled his hair.

“Stop it!” he pushed Saeyoung’s hand away and got out of the car. Saeyoung locked it and Yoosung arched his eyebrow.

“Gotta keep my baby safe.” He said, twirling his keychain around his finger.

“Saeyoung, the top is down, if someone wants to get into your car, it’s not that hard.”

“Oh really? Ok, smart water, go ahead, try it.” Yoosung rolled his eyes at Saeyoung’s attempted humor.

“Fine.” He reached a hand to the door and was about to jump in the car when the door flew open, knocking him down on his ass.

“Stay away or I’ll beat you senseless.” The car mocked him. Saeyoung bent over, slapping his knee and laughing.

Yoosung held his belly where the door had hit him, cursing at Saeyoung.

“What a mouth! You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Saeyoung’s eyes were wide in mock surprise.

“Shut up and help me up, that really hurt!” Yoosung held out his hand for Saeyoung to take. He yanked him and dusted him off, still snickering.

“Is this how you get your kicks? Picking on children?” Came a sarcastic and nasty voice from behind them. They both turned around. The man, not much more than a boy himself, had shocking white hair with red tips, his eyes were an unnatural mint green, freckles across his nose. He had a thin red sweater on so loose at the collar that it fell off his right shoulder, although, the way it exposed a large tattoo of an intricate eye, he might be wearing it that way on purpose. He had a double choker around his neck and a spiked wrist band. His jeans were black and he wore motorcycle boots. Yoosung’s eyes widened.

“You’re, you’re twins!” he exclaimed.

“You’ve got a bright one here Saeyoung.” the man said as he tapped out a cigarette from his pack, tossing it into his mouth. He shoved the pack into his back pocket and with a snap of his fingers, he created a small flame to light it.

“Nice to see you too Saeran.” Saeyoung grated. The hand around Yoosung’s arm tightened and he could feel the crackle of kinetic energy along his skin.

“Saeran…I…I remember that name.” Yoosung whispered.

“Yeah, you met him once, before he ran away from the academy.” Saeyoung clarified. Yoosung could almost remember, but, it had been so brief, he’d forgotten Saeyoung even had a brother! So much for being intelligent.

The woman standing next to him had long brown hair and brown eyes. She was dressed in business attire. A white button blouse, black suit jacket and black pencil skirt. She wore little to no makeup and her heels looked too high to be worn in an office setting. She smirked at them both.

Saeran huffed and turned away from his brother, scanning the area, and exhaling smoke.

“I was told you had the location of the three facilities, let me have them. I also need someone to impersonate.”

“And you are?” Saeyoung’s eyebrows rose.

She held out her hand. Saeyoung smiled at her, his most charming smile and leaned in. “I don’t give it up that easily. What do I get?” he crooned. Yoosung rolled his eyes at the same time as Saeran, they stared at each other, Saeran narrowed his eyes and looked Yoosung up and down, as if for the first time. Yoosung blushed and turned away, letting his hair fall and cover his face.

“You get to stay alive, now give me the information.” She glared at Saeyoung dangerously. Saeyoung pouted, his charms usually worked.

Saeran snickered again. “Don’t mess with Jaeheee, she doesn’t have a funny bone. She’s a little boring, but.” He shrugged. She glowered sideways at him and pursed her lips but said nothing. He scoffed at her look, but kept all other comments to himself.

Saeyoung reluctantly pulled out the envelope and handed it to Jaehee. She took it in her long fingers and opened it, flipping through the information rapidly.

“The identities and security cards are already in there. I assume you will be the one going in?”

“You assume correctly. Good, this will do, I will contact you when we learn which facility the girl is in.”

Saeyoung reached out to grab her arm, but the daggers in her eyes held him at bay.

“We go with you.”

“Why? You can’t help me, you would stick out like a sore thumb!”

“He can’t go in with you either, we’ll just keep him company, catch up, what do you say brother?” Saeyoung gestured towards Saeran who rolled his eyes again and puffed harder on his cigarette. Yoosung looked from one to the other, as did Jaehee.

“Whatever! He might be helpful if we need to hack.” Saeran conceded.

“Fine, but they are your responsibility!” Jaehee turned on her heels and walked off, Saeran glared at his brother as he fell in step behind his companion. He stepped in front of Yoosung as he tried to follow as well.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re cute?” he asked with a grin.

“Yes.” Yoosung answered innocently.

Saeran laughed and brushed Yoosung’s errant strands away from his eyes. Yoosung gulped, but didn’t move. What was he doing?

“Are you two coming? Or are you just going to stand there and flirt all day?” Jaehee called after them.

Yoosung blushed furiously. Was that what Saeyoung’s brother was doing? He chuckled and swung his arm around Yoosung’s shoulders. They began to walk towards the other two. Jaehee turned and continued to walk. Saeyoung stared at them, his mouth set in a disapproving frown. Yoosung suddenly felt trapped. He was unsure of what to do. Saeran merely smirked at his brother as they passed him, Yoosung giving him a shrug and a doe eyed stare. He was sure it was going to be a miserable few hours for him. He could feel the tension and aggression roiling off the two brothers. It was only a matter of time before it escaped, and he would be stuck in the middle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to point out that what happens in this fic is in a world like America. Because it is the world I know.

Jaehee walked briskly towards a dark grey BMW. She opened the door and slipped inside, leaving the door open. The three men stood around the open door as she read through the files Sayoung had handed her. She was a fast reader and was done in no time. She took out a strange tablet and hit several buttons, bringing up a satellite navigation system.

“We’ll check this one first. The warehouse next to Hennon Station. It’s the closest. She picked up the corresponding file and opened it, pulling out the security items Saeyoung had provided. Her eyes narrowed at the parking sticker, she looked up at him and grinned.

Saeyoung shrugged. “I prepare for any and all contingencies.” He matched her grin, rocking back and forth heels to toes, his hands in his pocket looking like a little boy who had just been praised for his good grades. Saeran scoffed and looked away. His arm was gone from around Yoosung’s shoulders, his hands also in his pockets. Yoosung looked from one to the other. They may not like it, but they were very much alike. He shook his head and returned his attention to the woman in the car. He did a double take and blinked his eyes several times.

He looked at the twins again, but, neither of them were particularly surprised by the woman’s appearance.

She now had jet black hair, she was shorter, she wore a completely different business suit and low heel boots.

“You forgot the glasses.” Saeyoung pointed out, glancing at the picture on the security card he held. As Yoosung watched, a pair of deep red glasses appeared on the woman’s face. Her skin detached from her face and formed into the new accessory. She even took them off.

“How?” Yoosung started.

“It’s what she does, haven’t you ever heard of Mystique?” Saeran leaned in close to him, his lips brushing against his ear. A shiver ran down Yoosung’s spine and he shut his mouth, biting his lip to keep them from quivering. He darted his eyes towards Saeyoung, who glared at his brother, his jaw clenched. Yoosung cleared his throat and took a step closer to Saeyoung, and away from Saeran. Saeyoung’s jaw eased and he tossed Saeran a look of triumph over Yoosung’s head. It was Saeran’s turn to glare at his brother.

“Keep it in your pants boys, it’s going to be a long day, and night probably. I expect you to be my backup in case things go wrong! We’re supposed to be working together. We don’t have to like it, but we do have to get this mission done!” she slammed her door closed causing the men to jump back or get hit.

“Woah! What about us?” Saeyoung asked as she peeled away.

“We go in that.” Saeran pointed towards a nondescript white van. Saeyoung’s shoulders slumped.

“But, what about my baby?” he whined.

“I think it can take care of itself. Come on.” Yoosung grabbed his arm and walked towards the van. Saeran slumped along behind them, fists in his pockets. It took everything within him not to send a fireball at his brother.

The side door opened, a short man with black hair and a dark suit glanced at them disinterestedly then melted back into the darkness of the van.

“Who is that?” Yoosung asked, unsure whether to get in or not.

“The driver, get in.” Saeran placed his hand on Yoosung’s lower back and guided him into the gloomy van. As soon as the trio was inside the van roared to life. They began to move. Saeran flipped a toggle switch and the bank of monitors and computers along the side wall of the van flickered on with a whoosh. Saeyoung’s eyes lit up at the state of the art electronic system before him. He sat on one of the bolted down chairs, Yoosung on the other one to his right. Saeran sat on a toolbox to Yoosung’s right and behind the driver. His gaze remained on Yoosung, watching the flickering lights from the monitors shin in his eyes. He reached out and placed his hand on Yoosung’s knee and Yoosung jerked away reflexively. Saeran retracted his hand and snickered. Saeyoung was too busy letting his fingers fly over a keyboard to even notice.

It wasn’t as fun if Saeyoung wasn’t paying attention. But he did catch the flush that crossed Yoosung’s cheeks. He was cute, so very cute. It had been a long time since Saeran had found someone that really piqued his interest. And the fact that his brother seemed to have a thing for him, only made it better.

They rumbled along slowly. Yoosung kept his eyes on the monitors, even though he had no idea what he was looking at, but he could feel Saeran’s gaze on him.

Yoosung had always known he was gay, yet it had never really defined anything about who he truly was. He’d had crushes before, but had never felt bold enough to follow through on those feelings, and soon enough, the crush would die. He’d felt that way about Saeyoung at one point, that died very quickly. Saeyoung felt more like a brother than anything else. They were closer to each other than they were to anyone else.

It was easy for Yoosung to fall for someone. He did it with Saeyoung, with Jumin, with Zen, even a small one on Professor V. None stuck, he realized soon enough that he just admired them and respected them. All for different reasons. He wasn’t new to being hit on either. Usually it was by girls, and he was always very gentle in letting them know he was not interested. Being hit on by guys was a rarer thing, but not unheard of. It usually made him blush, but he had yet to be attracted to the person doing the flirting. Yet, no one, literally NO ONE had ever come on to him the way Saeran was. Yoosung was not naïve enough to miss the fact that part of it was to get under his brother’s skin. But, those eyes still affected him, his touch still sent shivers down his spine, his innuendos and insinuations still made him blush from the tips of his ears to his toes. No one had ever made him feel like this, ever.

He liked Saeran. He liked the smirk, the look, the attitude. Yoosung seriously wondered if he was into bad boys and what that said about himself. He didn’t know Saeran well yet, maybe this feeling would crash and die too, like all the others, given time. But as he looked over at Saeran, who was taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, his heart skipped a beat, and he was sure this was different. He closed his eyes and groaned. This was not going to be good. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Saeran was once more grinning at him. Yoosung wondered briefly if he knew what he was thinking. But no, his power was fire, not telepathy. Saeran held out the pack to Yoosung, who shook his head emphatically. Saeran chuckled and stood, jumping into the passenger seat of the van. He offered a cigarette to the driver, who eagerly took it. He then lit both with his finger, never once looking back. The rumble of the engine was so loud, he couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but he could see Saeran’s profile, the smile coming easily to his face.

“Be careful Yoosung.” Saeyoung’s voice interrupted his admiring glances towards the front.

“Huh? What? Be careful?” he turned his full attention on his friend.

“It’s easy to fall for his spell. I’ve seen it before. But the harder he works on you, the more convinced you should be that he wants something from you. Saeran doesn’t give a shit about other people’s feelings. His relationships are made for personal gain. I…I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” He kept his gaze on the monitors but Yoosung could see it was difficult for him to say those words.

“Thank you. I know I shouldn’t believe anything he says. It’s just…I’ve never….I mean…he…uh…nevermind…” he tapered off.

Saeyoung stopped his fingers from flying over the keyboard and faced Yoosung completely. “He’s already gotten to you hasn’t he?” he whispered.

“No! I mean…no…” Yoosung bit his lip and Saeyoung sighed heavily.

“Just, be careful ok? I’d hate if my brother broke your heart.” His smile was lopsided and sad. He reached out to Yoosung, then yanked his hand back, his eyes focusing over Yoosung’s right shoulder with the same glare Yoosung was now coming to recognize. Saeran must be behind him. He turned and sure enough, Saeran stood there, bent over so his head wouldn’t hit the roof of the van and staring at Saeyoung and Yoosung, eyes going from one to the other. Yoosung wasn’t sure what Saeran was feeling, but, if the fire in his eyes was any indication, it wasn’t good.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked testily.

“Yes.” Saeyoung stated, and he reached out to grab a hold of Yoosung’s hand. Yoosung was too stunned to stop him.

“I see.” Was Saeran’s answer. “Well then, I’ll leave you two alone, shall I?” he held Yoosung’s gaze, looking for something, perhaps waiting for something, and when it did not come, he huffed and returned to the passenger seat. Yoosung just blinked after him. His heart beat too fast and his ears felt as if they were full of cotton. What the hell had just happened? He turned to Saeyoung, who still glared past his shoulder. They were still holding hands.

Soon enough, Saeyoung let go of his hand and returned his attention to the monitors, leaving Yoosung even more confused.

…………………………………..

Saeran had taken Yoosung’s place on the seat as he too flew his fingers across the keyboard in front of him. Jaehee had already been in the facility for over an hour. It was extremely large and she had to be careful while searching it. The twins had hacked into the security system and were following her every step. Yoosung felt useless, but, he took the time to study the twins as they worked together. Once they were in their hacker mindset, their animosity seemed to melt. They complimented each other fantastically and Yoosung was awed by their skills. It was probably a good thing Saeyoung had not followed his brother to Magneto’s side, they could have already ruled the world.

Suddenly the monitors began to snow over, one by one.

“No no no!” Saeyoung yelled.

“What’s happening?” Saeran began to pound on the keys to no avail.

“Damn it!” Saeyoung slammed his fist onto the shelf next to his keyboard. “I think we lost the link to the satellite! I’ll have to get on the roof and check it. Shit.” He stood and scrambled out. He closed the door behind them but they could hear him climb onto the roof.

Yoosung’s attention was above him and therefore he was surprised when he felt warm breath on his neck. He squealed and jumped.

Saeran laughed, “Some superhero you are, if you can be frightened by a little hot air.”

Yoosung swallowed hard, he was so close. He placed a hand on his thigh and squeezed lightly. “What did he tell you?”

“What? Who?” Yoosung huffed.

“My loving brother, Gambit, what did he tell you about me?”

“Oh, well, I mean, not…not much…”

Saeran laughed, “You are a terrible liar Yoosung, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Yes.” Yoosung admitted, lowering his chin to his chest.

“Doesn’t matter. Do you like him?”

“What?” Yoosung’s head jerked up.

“Gambit, do you like him?” Saeran asked again. There was no smirk, only genuine curiosity.

“He…he’s my best friend, yes, I like him.” Yoosung swallowed.

“That’s not what I mean. You’re smart Yoosung, don’t play dumb with me.”

“I…I don’t like guys.” Yoosung blurted out, not sure why. He quickly turned and forced Saeran’s hand off his thigh so that he could not see his face and tell that he was lying.

“I see…” Saeran said in a small voice. The door opened and Saeran stood quickly. The twins glared at each other once more. Saeyoung taking in the almost fetal position Yoosung was in. He hopped in and closed the door. He bent in front of Yoosung.

“You ok?” he asked.

“He’s fine! He doesn’t need a babysitter you know. He’s an adult, I think he can take care of himself, Gambit!” he spat.

Saeyoung stood up as far as he could and faced down his brother.

“I swear to God, PYRO, if you hurt him, I will hurt you. And you know you have never been able to beat me!”

“Is that a challenge?” Saeran bumped his forehead against Saeyoung’s and grit his teeth.

Saeyoung’s kenetic energy began to crackle over his hands. He reached into his pocket for his deck of cards, transferring the energy into the small rectangles. Saeran’s hands glowed as the fire inside fought to come through. Yoosung’s eyes widened, if they let loose with their powers in here, they were all toast.

He stood up and yelled, “That’s enough!” he thrust his hands in front of him and froze them both around the midsection, pinning their arms. They could easily escape, but at least it might cool them down. “We’re supposed to be working together, not trying to kill each other! Now, grow up! Both of you! I am not a prize to be won! Or a child to be protected! Jaehee is counting on you, and so is Rogue! Now get your assess back in those seats and do your jobs!!” he scolded them as they stared at him incredulously. Suddenly they both grinned and Yoosung was stunned by the mirror image he was witnessing. He would forever know those grins as the signature Choi grin.

Saeran melted the ice easily and Saeyoung cracked his just as effectively. They gave each other one glance and sat back down.

Yoosng took a deep breath of satisfaction and sat back down as well. He glanced at Saeran, who gave him a smirk and a wink. Looked like he had not stopped Saeran from flirting with him. Did he realize he had lied about not liking guys? Or was Yoosung too easy to read?

They spent hours in the van, and in the end, it was all for nothing. Rogue was not being held in that facility. The next closest facility was almost 200 miles away. They would not be able to get into it until the morning. The security system only allowing security personal into the building after hours. They made arrangements to stay at a hotel when they reached their destination.

“I’ll send you the address of where we’re staying for the night. We’ll hit the next facility early tomorrow.” Saeyoung was on the phone with Professor V. “Yes, everything’s fine, don’t worry.” He glanced towards Saeran, then away. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.” Saeran snickered and lit up another cigarette, blowing a thick billow of smoke towards Yoosung.

He wrinkled his nose and walked away from him, towards Saeyoung. The smell was atrocious. Saeran narrowed his eyes, the look of disappointment was so fleeting, Yoosung wasn’t sure he’d actually seen it. Saeran dropped the cigarette and crushed it under his boot. He turned his back to Yoosung and headed towards the car that had just pulled into the parking lot. Jaehee had arrived.

“Alright, let’s go get a room.”

“Can we trust them not to leave us behind?” Yoosung asked.

“You’ve got a point. Damn. Shit!”

Yoosung arched his eyebrows.

“Come on.” He took Yoosung’s arm and led him towards the other two.

“We should get two rooms. And…split.”

“Split?” Saeran furrowed his brows.

Jaehee stepped out, once more in her original appearance.

“He’s afraid we’ll dump them tomorrow.” She smirked. “So, who beds down with whom?” 

Suddenly Saeran’s grin was plastered on his face once more. He placed his arm around Yoosung’s shoulders and pulled him close. “I guess it’s me and you cutie. I think Mystique is too much for you to handle.” He stared at his brother, whose jaw was clenched once more.

Jaehee rolled her eyes but looked Saeyoung up and down appreciatively. “Let’s go then.”

Yoosung was freaking out. He was going to have to spend the night with Saeran? He wasn’t ready for that! Maybe Saeyoung was right. He felt like a juicy piece of steak that Saeran was going to devour. He was excited, but terrified at the same time. Once they had separated from Saeyoung and Jaehee, Saeran had been less overbearing with his flirting. He reached out to hold Yoosung’s hand gently and Yoosung let him. Once they reached their room, Saeran opened it quickly and they walked inside. He dropped the key card on the table and picked up the food menu.

“I’m starving! Let’s order room service.” He didn’t even look at Yoosung.

“Uh, I don’t have any money.” Yoosung whispered, sitting on the edge of one of the two double beds. Had Saeyoung been right? Was Saeran only coming on to him to irritate his brother, or for some other gain? He seemed to have cooled off rather fast.

He turned towards Yoosung and sat next to him, the menu between them. He leaned in, his arm behind Yoosung’s back, his hand loosely on his hip.

“See anything you want?” Saeran asked. He placed his chin on Yoosung shoulder. “My treat.”

“Oh, ok, yeah, I’m starving too. What are you getting?” he asked.

“The burger and fries, nothing fancy. But you can get whatever you want.”

“Ok.” Yoosung studied the menu, fully aware of how close Saeran was, and how he touched him. Maybe Saeyoung was wrong? Yoosung was so confused now. What did Saeran want from him? And why?

“The club sandwich, that looks good. Fries too.” Saeran yanked the menu from Yoosung’s hands and jumped off the bed.

“Perfect!” he reached for the phone and placed the order quickly, adding a bottle of wine and some tea. He raised his eyebrow at Yoosung when he’d ordered the tea. Yoosung nodded.

“Now, what do we do until it gets here?” he asked as he placed himself in front of Yoosung, spreading his legs apart.

“Ah, um…I…Sae…” Saeran leaned down, forcing Yoosung to lay on his back.

“I want to kiss you Yoosung. Can I kiss you?” Saeran asked, eyes lidded.

Yoosung’s hands were pressed against Saeran’s chest, his breath was coming in in gasps, his heart pounding in his ears. He licked his lips. “I…I told you…I…don’t like…guys.” He tried once more. Saeran only smiled wider.

“Is that so?”

Yoosung nodded.

“Hmm, well then, I guess you won’t like this.” And he closed the small distance between them and pressed his lips against Yoosung’s.

Yoosung had intended to push him away. To become indignant at his intimacy. But he found himself instead running his hands up his chest and around his neck. He found himself opening h is lips and allowing Saeran access into his mouth. He found himself moaning into the kiss, his legs wrapping around the other man.

Saeran pulled away, leaving Yoosung’s lips swollen and wanting. Yoosung whined in disappointment.

“If you want me to stop. I will.” Saeran grinned softly, looking at Yoosung’s large amethyst eyes as they glazed over.

“Don’t you dare!” Yoosung hissed, and pulled him back down, ramming his own tongue into Saeran’s mouth, frantically exploring him as if he would disappear any second. Once they came up for air once more. Saeran was laughing.

“Are you laughing at me?” Yoosung pouted.

“Yes, because I thought you didn’t like guys!” he scoffed.

“Oh.” Yoosung covered his face and tried to turn his body away.

“Oh no you don’t.” Saeran pulled him back under him, grabbed his wrists and held them above Yoosung’s head on the bed with one hand. His other hand ran down Yoosung’s chest, down his side and over his hip. Saeran’s eyes were hungry, his fingers eager to feel his skin. He slipped his fingers under Yoosung’s shirt and slid it upwards. Yoosung’s stomach sucked in.

“Sae…Saeran…” Yoosung could barely form a coherent word.

Saeran leaned over and captured Yoosung’s mouth once more, letting his wrists go. Yoosung quickly tangled his fingers in Saeran’s hair, delving into the bleached locks. Suddenly the heat coming off of Saeran was unbearable.

“Shit!” Saeran pushed off Yoosung, severing all bodily contact. He was about to step off the bed when Yoosung pulled him back down.

“Yoosung, I don’t want to hurt you! I still can’t control my body temperature when I get, well, excited.” He was flustered and upset, still trying to push away from the blonde.

“That won’t be a problem for me.” Yoosung whispered. There was a sheen on his skin and when he spoke, billows of cold air plumed out. Saeran blinked as he realized what was happening. He pressed his lips against Yoosung’s once more and there was a sizzle as heat met cold. Several minutes passed by when there was a knock at the door. Saeran reluctantly pulled away, kissing Yoosung’s nose and chin before sliding off him and the bed. Yoosung pushed himself up against the head board. He was breathing heavily and let out a laugh when he saw the state the room was in.

Saeran opened the door and the man standing on the other side gasped.

“Sir, do you need me to get maintenance in here?” he asked.

“What for?” Saeran grabbed the food cart and slid it inside.

“There’s obviously something wrong with your A/C.”

“Huh?” Saeran looked behind him and noticed that there was a condensation cloud floating close to the ceiling. “Oh, that, no, uh, we’re fine, in fact, we prefer it that way, thank you.” He gave the man some bills and closed the door. He grinned at Yoosung when he saw that the blonde was also viewing the cloud they had inadvertently created.

His smile faded, as he realized, one day, one day soon, he was going to break Yoosung’s heart.


	3. Chapter 3

They had slept together, but not the way Saeran had really wanted to. Part of him felt guilt but he pushed it away. They had fallen asleep, after another hot and heavy make out session. Yoosung had been hesitant to do more than just over the clothes touching, stopping his hand any time it went near Saeran’s crotch. Saeran, on the other hand, had no problem grabbing Yoosung’s ample ass, but even he restrained himself, not wanting to push too hard, afraid it would backfire.

It was not difficult to tell that Yoosung was just as turned on as he was. His cock ground into his thigh, Yoosung mewling like a cat in heat. At one point the phone in their room had rung, but they ignored it. Then Yoosung’s cell phone began to go off. They parted reluctantly and Yoosung answered it breathlessly. Saeran could hear his brother on the other end.

Yoosung pulled away from him and stood, pacing the room in agitation.

“I’m not a child Saeyoung.”

“Then stop treating me like one!”

He closed his eyes then glanced at Saeran, who watched him with an unreadable expression.

“Saeyoung. Saeyoung! SAEYOUNG!! It’s too late.” He whispered the last. There was silence at the other end.

“Then it’s my mistake to make!” his voice rose and he hit the end button, hanging up on Saeyoung.

Tears suddenly sprang to his eyes, his adrenaline having spiked and receded. He’d never spoken to Saeyoung that way. Even when he was angry with him for a prank he’d played on him. Saeran was beside him instantly, taking him in his arms.

“I’m sorry Yoosung. I know he hates me, but, I wish he wouldn’t take it out on you.”

Yoosung wrapped his arms around Saeran and pressed his cheek against his chest. “It’s not your fault. We’ll work it out, we always do.” Yoosung sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than Saeran.

The phone call had cooled the temperature in the room, but, it didn’t take long to get the feeling back. He held Yoosung, swayed with him, and kissed him. Soon, they were on the bed once more, creating more mist above them. They’d finally fallen asleep with Yoosung’s back to Saeran’s front.

Saeran woke before Yoosung, somehow during the night, Yoosung had flipped and they faced each other. He brushed Yoosung’s hair behind his ear, then ran his finger down his jaw. Yoosung’s face scrunched up and he sighed, blinking his eyes.

“Good morning.” He smiled.

“Yes, yes it is.” They exchanged a long and lingering good morning kiss before needing to separate to breath. Yoosung giggled and threw his leg over Saeran’s. Before they could resume their passion, there was a loud banging on the door.

“Time to go!” Saeyoung’s voice echoed through the room. They both sighed and rolled out of bed. Yoosung pulled his shoes on while Saeran opened the door. Saeyoung walked in, holding the door open.

"Jaehee is already gone. Your driver is up and ready to go too." He avoided looking at Yoosung, or Saeran. Saeran snorted and turned to find his shoes.

Saeyoung grabbed his arm and turned him around, letting the door close.

"What are you playing at? What's your game?" He spewed at Saeran.

Saeran yanked his arm from his brother's grasp.

"I'm not playing any game here Saeyoung. What are you afraid of? Huh? A little competition is too much for you?" He sneered.

"Is that what you think?" Saeyoung shook his head and clenched his jaw. "Is that why you're going at it so hot and heavy? You think I have a thing for Yoosung so, what? You're going to steal him away from me? Hear that Yoosung? He doesn't think of you as anything but a prize to be won."

"That's enough! I can take care of myself Saeyoung. You don't have to protect me."

"You don't know my brother the way I do."

"Then maybe you should let me get to know him and stop telling me what to think and how to feel." Yoosung interjected.

Saeyoung noted the humidity in the air and could guess where it had come from. He scanned the ceiling, where droplets of condensation still resided.

"Is this what you were doing? While a girl's life hangs in the balance? You're getting your rocks off? I thought better of you Yoosung."

"That's not fair!" Yoosung cried.

"Don't talk to him like that! If you want to be pissed at someone, be pissed at me. I know you hate me, but that's no reason to jump down his throat." Saeran stepped up to Saeyoung.

"I don't hate you Saeran, I love you. I just hate what you've become." He spit in his face.

"You arrogant sanctimonious piece of shit!" Saeran opened his hand and a fireball appeared instantly. He shoved it towards Saeyoung, who grabbed his arm and released a jolt of kinetic energy into the limb.

Yoosung clenched his teeth and walked between the two brawling brothers, under their outstretched arms and out the door. If they wanted to ack like children, they could do it without him. He'd never been so angry in his entire life. He held the tears that threatened to fall at bay. They were tears of anger and disappointment. The way they were acting, it did still feel as if they were playing tug-of-war with him in the middle. They were determined to tear him to pieces.

He hurried down the stairs, needing to expend some anger. The van was at the front of the hotel and he jumped into the passenger side, the driver gave him a strange look but said nothing. Seconds later the twins walked out of the double doors, and around the front of the van, they both glanced at Yoosung wearing the same sheepish look. He ignored them. Whatever their issues were, they had nothing to do with him.

The twins jumped into the back, neither attempting to speak to Yoosung and the van took off, the navigation system already set for the next location. Yoosung spent the time staring out of the window, wondering how he'd gotten in the middle of the feuding brothers. Maybe Saeyoung was right. Maybe he was in over his head. He really didn't know anything about Saeran except that he was charming and attractive. He was smart and dangerous, he knew that too. Yoosung sighed and closed his eyes. He hated to admit it, but, he'd jumped in feet first without even asking any questions. Sure, they definitely had chemistry, but, was that enough? Their ideas of how to integrate mutants into society were obviously at different ends of the spectrum if Saeran was loyal to Magneto. Could he really see himself with someone that believed mutants were superior to humans?

He leaned his forehead against the cold pane of the window. It was time to think with his head, not his heart, or any other part of his body. He breathed cold air on the glass and drew a heart with his finger. He stared at it then wiped it away. He should be thinking about Rogue and how to get her out. Saeyoung was right about that. He glanced back and saw that the twins were hard at work. He wondered what they were thinking about as well, and hoped they were focused on the mission and not their personal problems. Saeran glanced at him then swiftly jerked his eyes back to the bank of monitors.

Saeyoung's phone rang and he picked it up immediately. Although he couldn't hear what he was saying, Yoosung knew he was speaking to Professor V. Updating him on their progress. He was sure that he was going to leave their little spat out of his report. Yoosung faced forward once more. He would have to put a stop to whatever had begun with him and Saeran. At least for the time being. Work first, then he would decide what to do about his best friend's brother. Twenty years a virgin, never been kissed, and now this. He bit his lower lip, remembering the taste of Saeran's mouth on his. NO! He pushed the thought away, only to have another take its place. Saeran's hands on his ass, the tips of his fingers under his shirt. He had wanted to feel those hands on his cock the night before, but had been too scared to go further. He shook his head. He had to stop thinking about Saeran like that. He closed his eyes and tried to remember everything about Rogue. About the organization that had taken her. His head needed to be clear if they were going to help her.

“Go ahead Mystique.” Yoosung turned and crawled into the back when he heard Saeran, and then Mystique’s voice coming from the speaker.

“I found her. Meet me at the corner of Devers and Crane in thirty minutes. Call in your team Gambit, it isn’t going to be easy getting her out, they have a closed security system, which means we can’t infiltrate it from the outside.”

“If I can get into the server room, I ca…”

“Don’t even bother finishing that sentence. You wouldn’t be able to get through the front door. These people know what they’re doing. Security is more than tight, it’s a noose. And they are on high alert. They know they have a powerful mutant in their hands and they are not taking any chances. Going off mic now, I need to get out of here. Don’t be late.” They heard static as she cut off communications once more.

Saeyoung was already on the phone. Saeran was pulling up blueprints on the facility, ready for when they met back up with Mystique. Yoosung watched his hands fly over the keyboard and sighed. He was already rethinking his decision to keep him at arm’s length. Those fingers had worked a different kind of magic on him the night before. He glanced at him and saw that his eyes were focused on him as well. His fingers never stopping. Whatever he saw on Yoosung’s face, it did not make him happy. He snorted and refocused his attention on the monitors.

“They’re on their way. We’ll have to pick them up when they get here, they’ll need to land on the outskirts of town and far enough away from any surveillance cameras. We don’t know if the agency has access to civilian cameras as well as government ones. But, better to assume they do.”

They fell silent as the driver diverted to the new destination. It would take almost the entire 30 minutes to get there. Yoosung sat on the trunk behind the driver’s seat. Saeyoung busied himself, but Saeran simply sat and stared at the monitors. His eyes saw none of it. His insides were roiling, he’d never felt like this. He wasn’t one to give a shit about hurting someone’s feelings. He sure as hell wasn’t one to apologize, even if he was wrong. Even if he wanted to apologize to Yoosung, he wasn’t about to do it in front of his brother. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, his hands feeling clammy. His leg bounced, excess energy trying to find an outlet.

Yoosung placed his hand on Saeran’s knee and it instantly stopped. Saeyoung eyed them, his lips thinning into a white line. He bit his tongue to cut off what he so desperately wanted to say.

Yoosung dropped his hand from Saeran’s knee and returned to the passenger seat.

The rest of the drive was done in silence. The tension was so high, even the driver looked nervous. Magneto paid well, but, working for mutants had its downside. And Pyro was a big one. He was a hot head and not adverse to showing that anger. He peered at the blonde next to him. Somehow, this one had softened Pyro. He’d seen the red-head work his charm to get what he wanted plenty of times. But he’d never seen his prey turn the tables on him. He shook his head, wondering what that meant, then pushing it away, it didn’t matter. It was none of his business.

They reached the intersection, Mystique was already there, waiting in a gas station parking lot, leaning against her car.

She met them at the van when they pulled in next to her, handing Saeyoung her phone.

“I got as many pictures of the interior as I was able to.” Saeyoung took the phone and connected it to one of the computers. He pulled up the pics and downloaded them, scanning quickly. His eyes roamed back and forth until he came to the ones he was looking for.

“This is the maximum-security section.” He zoomed into the door security panel. “Does your key card open that door?” he asked Jaehee.

“No, only the elite members of the Director’s unit have those. It will be difficult impersonating one of them. They have their own security system which only they know. It’s a series of questions and answers that change sporadically. Even the other agents seem afraid of them.”

“Well, I guess stealth is out of the question. We’re going to have to go in hot and heavy. Any ideas?” Saeran asked, bouncing a flame in and around his knuckles. He was actually looking forward to the upcoming infiltration. He rarely got a chance to let loose. Even Magneto tried to keep him on a tight leash. It chafed.

Saeyoung’s fingers flew across the keyboard once more. With a satisfied look he pulled out his phone and tapped a long series of digits, then he hit send. He lowered his phone and waited. The others watched him with confusion. Jaehee crossed her arms, pursing her lips, all but tapping her foot in annoyance and impatience.

Saeyoung grinned when his phone pinged. He answered.

“Hey! Wanna come play?”

He listened to the answer.

“I’ll send you the coordinates to the plane. We’ll wait for you.” He hung up.

“Who was that?” Jaehee asked.

“A friend. Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed. There isn’t anything else we can do for now. Let’s head to the rendezvous point, I’ll analyze the rest of these pictures. I might be able to figure out what all we will be up against.” He turned back to the monitors, the others forgotten.

Jaehee rolled her eyes, but turned and walked towards the car.

Saeran closed the side door and settled back on the chair and watched his brother. Even he had to admit what a fucking genius he was. He felt a pang of jealousy then tamped it down. There was no time for that. Besides, he didn’t want to make Yoosung angry again. He chanced a look towards the front, but all he could see was Yoosung’s hair and a glimpse of his cheek. He remembered his fingers tangling in that hair, caressing that cheek and his temperature began to rise. He looked away, he couldn’t afford to feel that way. How many times had he done this very thing? How many times had he fostered a relationship purely for selfish reasons. He glanced at Saeyoung and was once again angry, because his brother had seen right through him. It wouldn’t take long for Yoosung to know the truth either. Yet, there was something, something that Yoosung made him feel that he’d never felt before. He pushed it away, drove it down, stomped on it and locked it behind a vault. Nope, no time for feelings.

……………………………………..

Zen piloted the aircraft. He turned stealth mode on. It would keep them off any radars, and made them practically invisible with its inverted reflective plates. They were close to the landing coordinates Saeyoung had sent them. It had been a long hour with only Jumin and him in the craft. Jumin had stayed in the back, reading over the information they had and the new info uncovered by Saeyoung and Magneto’s people. He was such a nerd. But, although he would never admit it, he was glad Jumin was so anal about certain things. Unfortunately, he was anal about other things that drove Zen insane.

Jumin closed the laptop and set it aside, moving to the co-pilot’s seat next to Zen. They should almost be there.

“Learn anything new?” Zen asked.

“Saeyoung is working on figuring out how many agents and workers are in the facility. It seems our best option is to go in at night. I am sure he will come to the same conclusion. We will not be able to infiltrate into the building stealthily.

“I still cannot believe Professor V has us working with Magneto.” Zen hissed through gritted teeth.

“It makes sense. Although, I agree, we should not turn our backs on them. They obviously have a different agenda than we do. Magneto does nothing without some gain.”

Zen nodded. I was not often he was in accord with Jumin. He was sure it would not last.

“We’re here.” Zen stated as he began his descent.  “How do you think Gambit is faring with Pyro?” Zen asked, a slight grin on his face.

“Considering they almost killed each other the last time t, I imagine there have been issues. However, since we have new intel, I suppose they are at least being productive.”

Soon enough they saw a white van and a grey BMW pulling alongside the plane. They dropped the back, cargo door and met the group as they trudged inside. Jumin eyed Mystique and Pyro. He had dealt with both before, of the two, he’d prefer to deal with Mystique, at least he knew what to expect from her. Pyro was just too volatile and dangerous. Not that Mystique was any less dangerous.

There was a loud roar and they all turned to watch as a motorcycle made its way next to the vehicles. The man wore no protective gear, his white shirt soiled from the road. He took his glasses off, slipping them onto the collar of his shirt, dropped the kickstand and ran his hand through his hair as he took a half-smoked cigar from one of his pouches. He popped it into his mouth and lit it with a lighter he pulled from his jeans. Once it was lit, he climbed off the bike and sauntered towards the group.

Saeyoung grinned as he moved to meet the man.

“Wolverine! Glad you could join us.”


	4. Chapter 4

Saeyoung wrapped his arms around Wolverine and tried to hug him tight.

“Vandy!” he trilled.

Wolverine pushed him away. “What have I told you?”

“Um, ‘Don’t touch me’, ‘Stop touching me’, ‘I’ll kill you’.” Saeyoung arched his eyebrow.

“Right, and don’t call me that!” he dismounted from his bike and took a deep drag of his cigar.

“Wolverine!” Yoosung bounded towards the man and threw himself at him. Wolverine caught him easily, picking him up and squeezing him hard.

“I can’t breathe!” Yoosung complained, smacking the larger man on the shoulders. Wolverine laughed and put the small blonde down.

“How come he can touch you?” Saeyoung pouted, arms crossed.

“He’s not you.” Wolverine retorted. Saeyoung narrowed his eyes and growled.

Saeran laughed at his brother’s discomfort.

“Fuck! There’s two of you? Maybe I don’t want to be here.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not the annoying twin.” Saeran snickered.

“Pyro, right?” the brown-haired man stepped up to him, eyeing him up and down. Saeran nodded, the larger man was indeed intimidating.

“My, my, my…” Jaehee closed the small distance between her and the new arrival. She reached out with her perfectly manicured hands and ran her fingernails down his muscular arm. She liked tall, dangerous men. He grinned at her and stared appreciatively. Suddenly her appearance changed, her skin becoming a brilliant blue, her hair red, her eyes yellow. He took a step back, yet, his appreciation actually grew. He grinned at the woman, who he now knew to be Mystique.

She wrapped her arms around his and leaned in close. Saeran rolled his eyes and headed into the belly of the plane. Zen kept his eyes on him.

“Happy to see you once again Vanderwood. I was unaware that Saeyoung had contacted you.” Jumin held his hand out and Wolverine took it in his.

“How have you been Angel?” he snickered as he called the man that. He was far from an angel with those black wings. Jumin’s mouth quirked, but he held his retort in check. Wolverine was a little like Saeyoung, in that he enjoyed poking at sore spots.

“As well as can be expected I suppose.” He turned towards Saeyoung and beckoned him inside. “We should probably begin to make a plan.” He turned and walked back into the plane. Saeran was leaning against a post, a cigarette in his mouth. Jumin glared at him.

“No smoking in the plane.” He looked away and took a seat, expecting to be obeyed. Saeran huffed, but kept the stick firmly in his mouth. A glance towards Mystique had him putting it out however. Their orders were clear, while with the V-Men, they would heed their rules, until they didn’t have to.

They all clambered onto the plane and Zen closed the large door behind them.

Saeyoung sat next to Jumin and fired up the bank of monitors. Saeran sat on his other side and commandeered one of the keyboards. Saeyoung was about to yank it away, but, Jumin gave him a slight shake of the head. He sighed and began to pound away on his own keyboard. He pulled up the schematics for the facility and the small file they had been able to cobble together about the new Humanity First organization. Only he and Professor V had even seen it.

“Ok, here’s the facility, this is the area where Jaehee said Rogue is being held.” He pointed towards a section towards the middle of the facility. It was a good location, tough to get to stealthily.

“Security around it is tight, the tightest I’ve ever seen. It not only needs a biological component scanned, it needs a voice match. There are cameras that cover every inch around the center structure. There is also a passcode that has to be input, that seems to change sporadically.” Jaehee offered.

“Sounds tough.” Zen interjected.

“It is. And, we’ll no doubt have to face some of the unit’s members. These are no ordinary law enforcement officers. They are heavily trained and come equipped with some high-tech tools. We have not been able to gather much information about them. We do however, have some photos.” He opened the file and pictorial thumbnails spread across the screens. There was a loud gasp from behind the plane. All heads turned towards Yoosung.

His hands were firmly over his mouth, his amethyst eyes large and confused.

“Yoosung?” Jumin stood and walked towards the blonde. He placed his hand on his shoulder and Yoosung jumped at the touch. He shook his head in disbelief.

“Are…are you sure about those pictures?” he asked in a small voice.

“Very.” Saeyoung assured him. “This is the director of the unit. Her name is Rika, last name is unknown. I haven’t been able to find much information on her, every person on this list has had their backgrounds scrubbed. I assume to keep others from retaliating against their families.”

“Kim…her last name is Kim. Rika Kim…she’s my cousin.” He breathed slowly. Saeran jumped from his seat and wrapped Yoosung in his arms. Yoosung groped at the taller man. He had been trying to keep his emotion from spilling over, but Saeran’s touch broke his resolve and he sobbed quietly. Jumin and Zen exchanged a glance, a question clearly needing to be asked. They turned towards Saeyoung who sat, his fists clenched on his thighs as he watched the two men intertwined.

“Yoosung, what can you tell us about your cousin? What kind of person is she?” Jumin asked. Yoosung pulled himself away from Saeran, his resolve to stay at arm’s length hadn’t lasted very long it seemed. He turned towards Jumin and focused on the rustling feathers of his wings. He’d always had an uncontrollable urge to touch those feathers, now, he focused on how glossy they were, how brilliantly blue black they glistened.

“I’m not really sure I can give you any useful information.” He started. “She was always nice to me, even after my mutation manifested.” He shrugged absently. “I mean, I haven’t really spoken to her the last few years, but, from what my mother said, she had a good job with the government in some kind of humanitarian role…” he finished weakly.

“Humanitarian…yeah…” Saeran huffed. The others were quiet, but each felt some form of that sentiment.

“Hey kid, you can’t choose your family.” Wolverine slapped him on the back forcefully and pulled him in for a brief hug. Yoosung smiled sadly, but the looks on the faces of his friends were easy to read. They all felt the same, none looked at him in derision or accusation, Jumin even gave him a small smile and a nod.

“Do you have her number?” Saeyoung suddenly asked, a look of concentration on his face. The wheels in his mind were turning, his eyes narrowed and focused inwards.

“Well, yes, but, I haven’t called in months. Usually it goes straight to voicemail.”

“Give it to me.” He commanded. Yoosung had to pull his phone out, as he could not recall what it was off the top of his head, even though at one time, he could have rattled the numbers off without even thinking about it. He suddenly felt guilty for not having thought of his cousin, or, indeed, his family, very often since he had joined the V-Men. Somehow, his friends had become more of a family to him than his biological one. He vowed to try and keep contact with them more often, especially his mother.

He gave Saeyoung to number, then put his phone back in his pocket. Saeyoung typed in the numbers into a program he had pulled up.

“Call her.” He ordered.

“What? Now? I told you, she won’t answer.” Yoosung was perplexed, but he did as Saeyoung asked.

“Doesn’t matter. Would be great if she answered, but, doesn’t matter.” He typed away on the keyboard, his eyes roaming the screens. Saeran sat next to him and began typing away as well. They glanced at each other and with identical grins, nodded comradely. The others exchanged even more glances. Put computer screens in front of the twins and apparently all other issues faded away.

Yoosung hit the dial button on his phone and placed it to his ear. He was already anticipating getting the electronic message and was beginning to lower the phone to hit the ‘end phone call’ button when the voice on the other end finally registered.

“Hello? Yoosung? Are you there?” he quickly slammed it back against his ear.

“Rika?” he gushed. His heart was beating so fast, he was so flustered but happy to have been able to reach her. He momentarily forgot why he was calling in the first place.

“Hello stranger.” She sounded almost the same, and had he not been staring at her image on one of the screens with DIRECTOR OF HUMANITY FIRST under it, he might have missed the subtle difference.

“I…I’m sorry, heh, I wasn’t really expecting you to answer the phone. I haven’t talked to you in so long. I…I’ve been missing you.” He said. It wasn’t necessarily a lie, he had indeed missed his closeness to his cousin. She had been the only one to push him to be more than average. To do more with his life than just find a good job, a wife, have a family, etc. She’d told him he could change the world.

“I’ve missed you too. Aunt and uncle can’t stop gushing about you and…what a great contribution to society you’re making as part of the…you know…the V-Men. I had no idea. But, I guess that was my fault. I’ve been so busy these last couple of years, I’ve let my familial responsibilities slide.”

“No, no, it’s fine. You know mom though, she’d be proud no matter what I was doing. I know she wanted me to be a doctor or something, not a lowly teacher…haha…” Zen shook his head at the blonde and rolled his eyes. Although, no one could see it of course. Yoosung shrugged, a look of near terror on his face.

“You’re doing fine.” Jumin exaggerated the words silently and made a keep going motion with his hands. He then turned his attention towards the monitors that began to scroll information at an alarming rate.

While everyone’s attention was on the screens, Jaehee took the opportunity to sidle next to Saeran. He was focused on the screens as much as his brother, but he spared her a sideways glance.

She made eye contact with him, her head jerking towards Yoosung. She desperately wanted to ask how things were going with getting close to the blonde, unfortunately, Angel’s ears were too damned good. He would be able to pick up on any whispered conversation in the small space, no matter how low the voices.

Saeran gave her a small nod and a smirk. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t done before. She was confidant he would be able to use Iceman to their benefit once the girl was in the possession of the V-Men. Magneto expected them to bring her to him, or they might as well not come back. Their mission coincided with the V-Men’s up to a certain point. It would be too tricky to try and take the girl while they were outnumbered this way, however, once they had her back at the school, it would only be a matter of gaining access, and that was where sweet little Iceman came in. She returned his grin and sat back into the chair casually, tuning everything out, although, her gaze kept careening back towards the well-muscled arms of the now legendary Wolverine. His eyes caressed her body, yet, she could see that he would never be so easily captivated by a pair of tits and a great ass. He was dangerous, perhaps too dangerous. She licked her lips, anticipating the burn of the fire she was about to walk into.

* * *

 

Rika hit the button to disconnect from her cousin. He had sounded flustered, but that was to be expected. Yoosung had always been emotionally high strung. When she had found out he was a mutant, it had piqued her curiosity. She had helped him develop his ability, studying his strengths and weaknesses. It had been a great learning experience. Once he had been sent to the V Academy, she had gone searching for others to study. Over the years, her research had caused her to begin to be afraid of these new mutants. They were no longer human. She had not actively gone after the V Academy because it was too well organized, the V-Men too powerful to overwhelm. She had been surprised and crestfallen when she’d learned from her aunt that Yoosung had become one of those V-Men. She truly loved Yoosung, but, he was too powerful to be left to do whatever he wanted.

She would need to take care of him soon, of all the V-Men, of all those young minds they were indoctrinating into their way of thinking. When she’d seen he was calling, she hesitated only momentarily. She had glanced at their newest acquisition, knowing full well that there would be an attempt at her rescue. It was inevitable. No matter how secure they felt they were, they could not underestimate the enemy. This one was too powerful to leave in human hands. Had she been one of them, she would have moved heaven and earth to get her out.

She had hoped to pry some information from her cousin, unfortunately, he had been tighter lipped about his organization than she supposed he would be. It had become frustrating. All her usual tricks had not worked, even her pouting had produced nothing. If she didn’t know any better, she would assume that he knew about her new title and job. She shook her head; her cover story was intact. There were no holes in it, there was no way he could know.

They had had a 100% recovery rate since they had incorporated her methods into the unit. There had been some resistance, but, no one could argue over the results. Once she had been made the director, she had paired down the number of members, choosing the most experienced and loyal. She needed soldiers who did what they were commanded to do, not bleeding hearts who would question her every order.

She briefly wondered if she would feel anything when she finally brought Yoosung in. Iceman, as he now called himself. There was no pang of regret at the idea. It wasn’t personal, had she herself shown any mutant abilities, she would have turned herself in. She would rather die than be a freak. She was keeping the rest of humanity alive. Professor V might profess some altruism, spew his desire for a kumbaya moment between mutants and humans, yet, she knew in her heart, that every single mutant felt they were superior to humans, and that superiority would one day be pursued to the fullest extent. They needed to combat that day before it came to bear.

She had lost several agents capturing their newest acquisition. Which is why she never used her own agents in the initial charge. Let those with little to no significance be the cannon fodder. This young woman with the long brown hair, and a thick swatch of white hair from her temple to her shoulder, had put up a huge struggle. She had killed six men before she had been put down. No one had gone near her since. They kept her drugged and restrained. There had been a near incident when they had taken too long between the administration of the drug, when she had reached out with her mind and captured the nurse. The woman had tossed the needle aside and was in the process of dragging the girl onto a wheelchair. Their security had quickly moved in, dosing the girl and dismissing the nurse. They had since had an IV put into her arm and were continuously giving her the concoction that Rika herself had developed. They called it Magenta. It dulled the senses, enough to manipulate the subject. She had mixed results and many of the mutants had to be put down. But, that was the cost of knowledge. This particular subject however, might be too strong and dangerous to let wake up ever again. Yet, she was loath to put her down completely.

Perhaps she could set a trap for the V-Men, or Magneto’s faction. Either way, she might be able to net some high-level mutants. There were several toys she was eager to try out. She might actually be face to face with her cousin sooner than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know if there are any errors.  
> Follow me on Tumblr! @elvendara for more MM fics...send me an ask! I love to talk, so message me for any and all conversations!


	5. Chapter 5

Yoosung couldn’t take his eyes off Mystique. The woman was indeed impressive.

“You keep staring at her like that, I’m going to start to get jealous.” Saeran ran his fingers through Yoosung’s hair as he walked by. It sent a shiver down his spine and he tore his eyes off the woman and followed Saeran's retreating body. He wore his tight-fitting Pyro uniform and Yoosung couldn't help but admire the way he walked away.

Wolverine leaned against the console in front of the bank of monitors against the wall of the plane. Saeyoung still studied the schematics, his fingers flying over the keyboard in front of him. He pushed against the man with his hip and Saeyoung glanced up at him questioningly, eyebrows raised.

"What's the deal with you and Iceman? Normally you two are inseparable. What did you do?" He asked.

Saeyoung sputtered, "Why do you assume I did something? Maybe it was Yoosung who did something."

Wolverine chuckled in disbelief. "Because it's Iceman, he likes everyone! So, what did you do?"

Saeyoung sighed and went back to staring at the monitors.

"Nothing!" He pushed through gritted teeth, then his shoulders sagged, "Well, maybe something." He glanced towards his brother, a grimace on his face.

"Pyro using his charms on your best friend?"

"You know what he's like. I... just don't want Yoosung to get hurt."

"He isn't a child Gambit. Even if he looks like he's 14. You're just going to have to let him make his own mistakes."

"Easy for you to say! Who's going to have to be there to pick up the pieces? Not you!"

"That's what friends are for. Or, that's what I hear." He popped his cigar back into his mouth and walked away, slapping Saeyoung on the back forcefully. Saeyoung hit the desk and grunted. He rubbed his chest and growled at Wolverine's back.

A heavy arm fell over Yoosung's shoulder, the thick material of his uniform easing the heft.

"Checking out the enemy?" He teased, with a deep chuckle.

Yoosung rolled his eyes, but he could not hide the blush that suffused his face.

"You know that guy is bad news, right?"

"Not you too!" He shrugged Wolverine's arm off him, crossed his arms and turned away. Undeterred, Wolverine stepped in front of the younger man and held his upper arms in his large hands.

"Hey, I'm the last person to tell anyone how to behave, but, you're important to me. Important to   a lot of people, including Gambit. You may not like it, but, he knows what he's talking about. Don't get me wrong, Pyro has his moments, but, he's made a lot of bad choices in his life. Not all of them are his fault, but, at some point, he has to take responsibility for them. I'm not telling you how to feel, or that your feelings are wrong. I'm just saying, be careful. Caring about someone like him will bring you pain eventually. As long as you are prepared for that eventuality, do as you please."

"Are you speaking from personal experience?" Yoosung dared to ask.

Wolverine dropped his arms to his side and took a step back. "Yes, why do you think I don't stay put? Why I don't grow any roots? I can't afford to."

"But I care about you too, so does Gambit and Professor V. Does that mean we'll get hurt too?"

"Maybe, I don't know. It's different than how you feel about Pyro though. Tell me I'm wrong."

Yoosung looked down and away, shaking his head.

"Don't be so hard on Gambit either. He thinks of you like a little brother and only wants to protect you. His issues with Pyro sometimes blind him, but, he means well."

"I thought you didn't like him." Yoosung smirked.

"Don't put words in my mouth! I'd take a bullet for the idiot, but he's still an idiot!" He squeezed Yoosung's arms almost painfully, "If you ever tell him I said that, I will kill you!" Yoosung gulped and nodded, eyes wide. Wolverine grinned and patted him on the shoulders, "Good boy. I always knew you were a smart one. Now...If you don't mind, I'm gonna' go see if I can get anywhere with the blue gal."

"Hey! Isn't she bad news too?" Yoosung threw at him.

"Just the way I like 'em." He gave Yoosung a wink and sauntered over to Mystique. Yoosung shook his head and giggled.

"Trying to take your girl? Maybe you're the one that should be jealous." Yoosung jumped at the words. He hadn't heard Saeran sneaking up on him.

"Uh, I...I just admire what she can do, that's all." He tried to walk around Saeran, but he stepped in front of him. Soon, they were doing a little dance. Yoosung sighed in exasperation, crossing his arms. "Let me pass Saeran."

"Or what?" Saeran smirked. It faded quickly as a flash of disappointment crossed Yoosung's eyes.

He stepped aside to let Yoosung pass. "I'm sorry." He whispered before turning and walking out of the back of the plane. Yoosung's heart clenched. He wanted to go after him. He turned that way then glanced at Saeyoung and Wolverine. What they said made a lot of sense, and, if he wanted to be treated like an adult, he needed to begin to act like one. It was going to be up to Saeran to prove he was trustworthy.

Jumin was speaking with Zen, who was very animated, his pale face turning bright red. He even reached out and pushed against Jumin's shoulder to punctuate a point. Jumin glanced down and back up, arching his eyebrows. Zen appeared to calm a bit, running his hand through his hair. He did not apologize, but he did back down. Yoosung wondered what was causing the friction, but, knowing them, it could be anything. Jumin could easily trigger Zen, even with an innocent comment.

Jumin placed his hand on Zen's shoulder and made sure to make eye contact. He whispered something to him, and Zen nodded. The edges of his lips even turned upwards momentarily. That was new, Zen never smiled when Jumin was around, unless he was making fun of the man.

Jumin turned towards Saeyoung, "Are we ready?" He asked. Saeyoung nodded, finally silencing his fingers and rising from the chair.

They all exited the plane and huddled around the back end. Mystique was already in her disguise, Wolverine's arm settled over her shoulders without any complaints. Saeran ground his teeth and glared at no one in particular. Their eyes met and Yoosung quickly looked away, his face reddening. He focused on Jumin, who was about to speak.

"We each have our point of entry. We need to get in and out quickly. Security will be on us instantly. Saeyoung will try to get to the server room, however, we cannot depend on that. And Saeyoung, if you run into trouble, abort! We'll need you if we have to fight our way out. Unfortunately, we do not have much information about this new elite team. But we can assume that they have some tactics and equipment that helps them against mutants. So be careful and cover each other's backs!" He eyed Mystique and Pyro specifically, then swept his gaze over his own team.

They all looked resolute and ready for action. Yoosung's pulse quickened. This would be the most important mission he had ever been out on. He hoped he did not let anyone down. He could feel the cold building inside him, ready to be released.

"And remember, we are not here to kill anyone. Try to keep the body count to zero!" Saeran snickered at that reminder. Yoosung wondered how fire could be used in a non-deadly way. He would just have to trust that Saeran knew what he was doing. However, one look at Saeyoung and Jumin, told him that they, at least, did not trust him.

Yoosung grimaced. Maybe he should let Saeran know that he believed in him. What would it feel like if everyone he knew expected him to fail, to disappoint, to do the wrong thing? What would it feel like if not a single person trusted him? Believed in him? Even hated him? He unconsciously moved closer to Saeran, wanting to reach out and comfort him. He knew that Saeran would not appreciate that gesture at the moment, so he clasped his hands in front of him and adamantly kept his gaze averted.

“Yoosung, I want you to stay with Saeyoung. Keep him safe while he tries to hack the system. Follow his orders, is that understood?” his grey eyes bored into Yoosung’s lavender orbs. He nodded, his lips pressing into a thin white line. He did not need to be treated like a child, especially not in front of everyone. “Alright, let’s move out.” Jumin flapped his dark wings and rose into the sky. He grabbed a not too happy Zen under his arms and lifted him up. They turned in the direction of the building and flew away.

Wolverine slid into the passenger side of Mystique’s vehicle and they roared off.

“Great, how are we getting there?” Saeran fumed.

“In that.” Saeyoung pointed to a set of headlights heading in their direction. His Lamborghini came into view, a very furry and blue man behind the wheel.

“Beast! I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” Saeyoung sang out as the large man exited the vehicle.

“Why do they make these things so small? My knees ache now.” He complained.

“You could have driven it in your human form you know.” Saeyoung chuckled.

“Hank! Are you coming too?” Yoosung hugged the thickly muscled man, noting once more how unyielding those muscles were.

He rumbled out a thick chuckle and shook his head. “I’m here to babysit the plane, and in case anyone needs any medical assistance.” He paused a few beats as he took in Saeran’s sullen stare and stance. “Been a long time Pyro, how is Magneto treating you?”

“As if you care. Can we just go?” he passed them all and jumped into the cramped back seat of the convertible, shaking out a cigarette and lighting it when he settled into the seat.

“No smoking in my baby!” Saeyoung growled, taking his place behind the wheel.

Saeran’s only answer was to exhale a huge puff of smoke slowly. Yoosung sighed and Beast squeezed his shoulders comfortingly.

“Good luck.” He whispered. Yoosung accepted the good wishes and silently sank into the passenger seat. Why had he become the buffer between the brothers?

Saeyoung peeled away, waving to Beast, his mind already crunching the numbers and running through the blueprint in his head of their entry point and the best way to get where they needed to go, the server room. He honestly did not think they would have time for that. Their mission was going to get ugly and fast. He was prepared for that. There was, however, an uneasiness in the back of his mind that had nothing to do with how dangerous their mission was. Something wasn’t right. Whatever it was, it would not stop them from at least attempting to save Rogue.

“Yoosung, call your cousin again, put it on speaker.”

“Why?” Yoosung asked, even as he pulled out his phone.

“I have a really bad feeling. Just, do it.”

Yoosung pressed the button and it began to ring. It rang for so long, Yoosung was beginning to think she would not answer and started to try and figure out what he would leave on the answering machine. When her voice broke through, he almost started his prepared speech.

“Oh…Rika! I didn’t think you were going to answer, I was getting ready to leave a message.” He giggled nervously. Saeyoung eyed him and he tried to calm himself down. Saeran had scooted between them, leaning over the back seat so he could listen as well.

“Yoosung, what a nice surprise. Two calls in one day, don’t I feel special.” She laughed pleasantly. Saeyoung slowed down so the sound of the wind rushing by didn’t interfere with what he was listening for. He tuned out Rika’s voice and focused on the background noises.

“Well, you are special, to me anyway.”

“Aren’t you sweet. Now, why are you really calling?” her voice dropped an octave, curiosity clear.

“Yasmin’s having a baby shower next weekend, I was wondering if you were going?”

“Oh, right, I remember getting the invitation. Goodness, I forgot all about it! Work has me so busy, I hardly have time for a personal life.”

“That’s too bad, I was really hoping to see you. What work are you doing?” Yoosung asked innocently.

“If I start talking about it, I’m sure you would be bored! But, I will see if I can make it to the baby shower. I’d love to see you at least.” There was a note of sincerity in her voice. Yoosung knew that her childhood had not been as pleasant as she had led him to believe. Yoosung had been the only family member she had ever really been close to.

“Are…are you alright Rika?” Yoosung asked, concerned.

“Yes! Yes I’m fine Yoosung.” Her normal exuberant personality was back, the mask she wore to show the world that she was normal. Yoosung could see it now for what it was, and it pained him that he had been deluded by it at all. It was excruciatingly obvious. Had he been part of the reason she had headed in the direction she had? If he had stayed close to her, would her views on mutants be different? He could not second guess himself, it was what it was, and he could not change the past. He glanced at Saeran, who held his gaze briefly before turning away and sitting back. How much pain did Saeran’s mask hide he wondered.

“Listen, uh, I have to go, I need to get something ready for work tomorrow, but, I’ll call you and let you know about next weekend ok? It…it was good to hear from you Yoosung.” She sounded sincere, but was she?

“I’ll let you go then, bye.” He hung up before she could respond, his hands shaking. He stared at Saeyoung’s profile, he knew that look, he was working something out. He sat back and gazed at the night’s landscape as it whizzed by. Did everyone wear a mask?

“We’re scraping the server idea.” Saeyoung suddenly said.

“What? Why?” Yoosung sat up, eyebrows knit together.

Saeran sat up as well, leaning in to hear.

“She knows we’re coming.”

“How can you be so sure?” Saeran asked.

“Because I know, I, just know.” Yoosung nodded. He trusted Saeyoung’s instincts.

“So, what do we do instead?” he asked.

“We trip her trap.”

“Are you serious?” Saeran shouted.

Saeyoung nodded. “We will be the distraction while the others get Rogue out. Instead of being as stealthy as we can be, we’re going to make some noise.” He grinned. He locked eyes with his brother through the rearview mirror. “Oh come on little brother, it’s everything you could have hoped for. We’re going to battle, and we’re going to battle hard.” Saeran’s eyes crinkled and he grinned just as wide as Saeyoung. Yoosung shook his head at them both. They were both crazy, and he was still stuck in the middle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking a hiatus on this, doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in reading it.....too bad..........


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting back to this fic! I WILL finish it one way or another! I cannot leave it undone! It's late and I didn't edit this. Please forgive any errors, I will edit tomorrow! I wanted to get this out before going to bed!

“Ready?” Gambit asked his companions. Pyro nodded eagerly, Iceman not so much. This was a stupid idea, but Iceman had to admit, he couldn’t think of anything better. If his cousin had laid a trap, it was better for them to spring it out here, instead of the others inside.  He took a deep breath and began to gather the moisture in the air, ready to use it as he needed.

Saeyoung grinned at them, his brother mirroring it, he stood and began to run towards the building’s fence, tossing his cards at the electrified fence. He took out his staff and extended it, slamming it on the ground and using it to propel himself up and over the fence. Yoosung created a slide out of ice and skidded up and over, Saeran holding on to his back and riding the ice like a wave. He bellowed as he jumped off on the other side and launched a huge ball of fire towards the main building. They ran behind an electrical shed and the twins laughter of glee was suddenly infectious. Yoosung’s adrenaline was ratcheted higher than it had ever been and the infiltration was exhilarating. Saeran clasped the back of his head and smashed their lips together. Yoosung was surprised but found the physical contact thrilling. He wondered what sex would be like after something like this. He dismissed the thought immediately, it was dangerous to get caught up in that. But he didn’t push the man away, instead he responded in kind until Saeyoung pushed them both.

“Focus!” he groused.

“Later cutie.” Saeran whispered in Yoosung’s ear. It was difficult to stay angry with the boy. It just wasn’t in Yoosung’s nature, but he reminded himself that he was supposed to be taking a step back, going slower. Yet Saeran made his head swim.

“Here they come! Spread out, stay safe!” Saeyoung yelled over his shoulder as he broke cover and bombarded the oncoming security with his kinetically charged cards. He twisted and turned, jumped and spun, away from every projectile thrown at him. Zigzagging his way closer, he grabbed one man’s rifle, charging it and backflipping away before it blew up in the man’s hands sending him and two others flying backwards.

Saeran spewed fire from his spread fingers, engulfing two men, sending them to the ground before Yoosung doused them, putting out the flame.

“Damn it Pyro!” he hissed. Saeran simply shrugged with a smirk.

Jumin’s voice came over their communications devises.   
“What the hell are you idiots doing? That wasn’t part of the plan!”

“Got their attention didn’t it?” Saeyoung screamed joyfully. “Just do your part, we’ll keep them occupied. And be careful, I think Humanity First has more surprises for us!”

Yoosung dove towards the south, creating an ice wall between him and the bullets flying. The thick ice would stop them for a bit, but they would eventually shoot right through. He back tracked and tried to keep an eye on Saeran, the last thing they needed was to prove mutants were killers.

Saeran’s attacks were now focused on things around the men, not directed at them, at least that was a relief. He blasted a barrel to the left of a few men and another was aiming straight for him, without thinking, Yoosung froze the man from head to foot. Saeran eyed him with a raised eyebrow. Instead of saying anything, he simply shot fire at the ice sculpture until it melted, the man fell to the ground, unconscious. Yoosung shrugged sheepishly. He knew Saeran would tease him about that later.

He concentrated on battling the myriad of men, trying to contain them and not kill them. It was harder than he had thought it would be, and that was with his ice power. The fact that Saeran hadn’t killed anyone with his more destructive fire, was a miracle. Same could be said for Saeyoung, who seemed to be able to precisely gauge his kinetic energy.

Suddenly there was a deafening boom and all three men went down, covering their ears. Saeyoung blinked, boots getting closer and someone trying to place something around his neck. He pushed them away, but his body would not respond as quickly as he would like it to. He grabbed hold of the collar and charged it to his fullest potential, the person let go and scrambled back as it exploded in Saeyoung’s hand. He covered his eyes and tried to stand up, absorbing the kinetic energy back into himself. It awakened his senses more, but he was still too dizzy to be of much use. He saw Yoosung crawling on the ground, a black collar snapped on his neck. Saeran shoved the woman who had linked it around Yoosung away and set her on fire. He fell onto his ass and kept up his chaotic barrage of fire balls. He could feel the heat even at his distance. But he could see that Saeran was being worn down. Yoosung clawed at the collar and fell, his face showing extreme discomfort.

Saeyoung charged his staff and swung it around him. He fell back to his knees, not knowing if he was having any affect at all. It wasn’t looking well for them. At least he had succeeded in springing the trap and they were good and caught. Mission accomplished!

There was a loud roar and he was afraid the sonic boom was going to take him out this time. But the sound was different, muted. There was sound of gunfire and Saeyoung hit the ground, covering his head as bits of asphalt rained over him. With all the ice and fire there was a thick layer of smoke that prevented him from seeing clearly. He heard a ring of metal, more gunfire, and the looming form of Vanderwood as he appeared and disappeared in the haze. Jaehee’s blue form was a streak in the fire light as she wrapped herself around a man and punched him in the face, jumping off him gracefully and launching herself against the next opponent.

It seemed like hours, but must have been only minutes before arms were wrapped around him and he was lifted off the ground. He began to fight before he realized it was Jumin. The man flew him to the aircraft, he felt a pang of loss as he realized he would be losing his car. Yoosung was unconscious across the bolted seats, Saeran on the floor, holding the blonde’s hand. Something ached inside of Saeyoung, if only his brother was worthy of someone  like Yoosung, but he was afraid that he would only end up hurting Yoosung beyond repair.

“What happened?” he asked.

Saeran shrugged, “It’s that damned collar! I couldn’t get it off!”

Saeyoung knelt by Yoosung and began inspecting the smooth dark metal.

“No time for that! Get this bird in the air!” Jumin flew in Zen on his heels with an unconscious woman in his arms. Wolverine and Mystic bringing up the rear.

* * *

 

Both Yoosung and Rogue were in the medical lab. Professor V had entered their minds and let them know that they were mentally and physically healthy. Both wore the collar and they were still attempting to get them off safely. Beast and Saeyoung were working to figure out the mechanism. They were close. They worked on Yoosung’s collar, as touching Rogue had proven to be detrimental.

“Got it!” Saeyoung crowed in triumph, the collar released and fell off Yoosung’s neck.

“Excellent!” Beast took the metal and lay it on his work table. Studying it would certainly prove useful.

Yoosung coughed and sat up, his hands springing to his neck, feeling around, his eyes flooding with relief at the touch of his skin.

“Yoosung!” Saeran hugged him, clutching at him almost painfully.

“You should get some rest Yoosung.” Beast suggested.

“Yeah, you’ve been through a lot. Your first real battle and you did great!” Saeyoung pulled Yoosung from Saeran’s grasp and helped him off the bed, his arm around his shoulders.

“Oh, ok, I do feel tired.” Which wasn’t a lie, his eyes felt heavy and he truly did not want to be between the twins yet again. He scanned his palm on the panel and the door whooshed open. He shuffled down the hall and towards his room.

Saeyoung watched the blonde then turned back to his brother.

“You, follow me.” He commanded, scanning his own palm so they could pass through without the alarm sounding, even with the door already open. Saeran rolled his eyes but did as his brother requested. He made a note of the scanner and was already thinking of how he would get by that particular security system. They headed in the opposite direction as Yoosung and Saeran sighed in disappointment. It wouldn’t take much to figure out where his room was however. He grinned at the thought. Now that he knew Yoosung was safe, he could breathe a little easier, and he could think a little clearer.

“Are you going to lecture me again? Order me to stay away from Iceman?” he asked as he stepped up next to his brother, matching his rapid pace.

“I’m going to be busy all night, going over those collars with Beast. Trying to figure out how to take it off Rogue. Mystic is already in a room, yours is right next to hers. Try and make yourself useful and stay out of my way! Tomorrow you both leave. Whatever else you thought you were going to get here, forget it! Magneto will just have to be disappointed!”

Saeran laughed at Saeyoung’s presumption. He wasn’t going to leave the school without exactly what Magneto wanted. If he did, he was better off never going back than showing up empty handed.

“Here. The cafeteria is down there and to the left, restrooms are just beyond it. There’s a garden out the back around the corner if you want to go outside, otherwise, stick to this hallway!” he turned and walked away, leaving Saeran on his own. He knocked on Jaehee’s door and she answered it immediately. He ducked into her room.

“They’ll have the collar off in no time. They’ve already taken it off Yoosung. I should be able to get it and her without any difficulty. Knowing my brother, he’ll be nose deep in research on the damned things. Beast should be there with him.”

“Are you sure you can do this? It needs to be precise Pyro! If we show our hand, we won’t have another chance.”

“Give me four hours! I’ll meet you at the far end of the gardens. Can you get out without being seen?”

Jaehee arched her eyebrows.

“Right, what was I thinking? Were you able to bring in your kit?” he asked.

“Of course!” she pulled it from under the bed and Saeran rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for. He stuffed it into his back pocket.

“Four hours.” He nodded at her.

Jaehee responded, “Four hours!” Saeran left but did not enter his own room. Instead, he headed in the direction of where Yoosung should be. Along the way, he saw many students, although it was late, it seemed as if some students were nocturnal. He asked one in particular if she could point him in the right direction of Yoosung. The girl was extremely helpful, and he found the room without any trouble. He knocked and waited. He knocked again, afraid Yoosung might be a heavy sleeper. Actually, that was probably a good thing.

The door was finally opened and Yoosung’s sleepy amethyst eyes blinke out at him. His room was dark and the light from the hallway illuminated him completely.

“Saeran?”

“I woke you! Sorry, I should…go…”

“What? Oh, wh…what are you…doing here?” he stepped out of his room and looked up and down the hallway. “Where’s Saeyoung? He doesn’t know you’re here does he?”

“Well, no.” Saeran answered truthfully. “I just…wanted to make sure you were ok, that’s all. I should go…” he shuffled his feet, not even attempting to walk away.

Yoosung sighed and stepped back into his room. “Come in! But only for a little bit!”

Saeran grinned and slid by the blonde into the dark room. Yoosung closed the door and turned a lamp on. Saeran saw his small bed was rumpled, a Pikachu plushie half under the blanket. His room was half teenager, half attempt at adulthood. It suited him. Yoosung tried to shove the Pikachu further under the blanket as he jumped on the bed, crossing his legs. Saeran chuckled, but let it go. The blush on his face was appetizing.

He sat next to Yoosung and swiped his bangs away from his forehead, tucking it behind his ear. Yoosung’s large eyes watched him, lidded and almost hungry. Saeran’s fingers slid down his cheek, running his thumb across his bottom lip. Yoosung closed his eyes and moaned deliciously. Saeran pressed his lips against Yoosung’s and the boy responded immediately. He pushed him down until his head hit the pillow. He pressed his thigh between Yoosung’s legs, against his cock and could feel how fast he was getting hard.

He expected the blonde to stop him, but instead he dug his fingers into Saeran’s hair, clutching at him and grinding against his thigh. He wanted desperately to run his hand down and slide it under his blue pajamas but he restrained himself. Yoosung was not just some one night stand. He hated himself on several different levels. This was wrong, but he couldn’t stop himself. He felt so good. His tongue slid between his teeth and Yoosung moaned louder, his hips humping his leg.

“Fuck Yoosung!” he breathed heavily as he painfully pulled himself away.

“Kiss me!” Yoosung grabbed his shirt in his fist and pulled him down. Saeran did as he was commanded. He knew Yoosung wanted more, but was too timid to push him over the boundary himself. The only thing preventing them from fucking right now was Saeran himself.

After several minutes Saeran pushed away from the blonde again.

“Yoosung! You…you should be sleeping…” he huffed breathlessly.

Yoosung groaned in frustration and irritation. His arms fell to the sides and he nodded.

“Will you stay with me?” he asked.

“If that’s what you want, of course.” Yoosung smiled. Saeran fished Pikachu out, tossed him on the floor and then took his place. Yoosung giggled and pressed his back against Saeran’s front, getting comfortable.

“This is nice.” He yawned. Saeran nodded against his neck and took a nibble. Yoosung chuckled and soon enough he was sleeping soundly. Saeran lay with Yoosung in his arms, knowing what he was about to do. Knowing he was going to break his heart. His own heart was breaking at the very thought. He could just stay here. He could be the man Yoosung thought he could be. He could stand by him, be with him, lo…v…e…him. He shook the thought away. It wasn’t him. Even if he stayed, stood Mystic up, he would one day break Yoosung’s heart anyway. One way or another. Better to do it now, before anything really happened. He would prove his brother right again, and that would at least make him happy, right?

He slid his arm from under Yoosung’s head and gently climbed over him to the floor. Yoosung mumbled, Saeran’s name on his lips. That gave him pause, but he continued. He took the vial from his back pocket and opened it. The stopper had a brush at the end of it and he opened Yoosung’s hand, coating it thinly with the gel. Once it dried, he peeled it off, Yoosung curled his hand during the process and it took Saeran longer to reopen it and finish peeling it off. He placed it on his own hand and after a soft kiss to Yoosung’s forehead, he turned away and never looked back.


	7. Chapter 7

Saeran made his way quickly to the medical bay. He hovered around the area to make sure there was no one that would see him. He would have to hope that his brother and Beast would not be in the room when he entered. There was no good explanation and there was little chance of him being able to fight his way out of a school full of mutants. He checked his watch. He had to get going if he was going to make his rendezvous.

He checked his makeshift Yoosung hand and stepped up to the panel on the wall by the door. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on it and was relieved when it scanned, and the door opened without any problem. The room was empty, and he made his way to the bed in which Rogue was still out cold. The collar was off and sitting on a tray by her head. He grabbed the collar and stuffed it in his jacket. He grabbed the girl and flung her over his shoulder. She made a soft sound but didn’t wake. Good, he was sure they had sedated her until they could safely deal with her mutation. That worked in his favor.

He scanned the hand again and the doors swooshed open. He glanced into the hallway and made sure it was empty before he scuttled out and quickly made his way to the door into the back gardens. He was elated that he had gotten this far. At the door, there was another panel. The gel on his hand was deteriorating, but he tried it anyway. It scanned, once, twice, turned red, then flickered to green, opening the door. As soon as he stepped outside however, a loud alarm rang out and flood lights brightened the grounds.

“Shit!” he barely got his foot out before the doors clanged shut behind him. He began to run. He entered the garden and was thankful for its meager cover. He could hear an aircraft and hoped it was Mystique and not the V-Men. He ran head long, not caring that the bushes were grabbing at him, ripping his clothes and scratching his skin.

There were loud sounds coming from behind him, and they were getting closer. Suddenly there was a missile that landed at his feet and sent him tumbling onto the ground. He kept a hold of Rogue and scrambled back up. He glanced back and saw his brother gaining on him, a look of anger he had come to recognize. Beast was behind him and he saw Angel fly upwards, his black wings propelling him forward fast, too fast. Cyclops sent a beam in front of him, cutting a large branch off a tree. It fell in front of Saeran, but he jumped over it and kept going sending fireballs behind him blindly.

He was surprised when he didn’t hear them hit and explode, he chanced a look back and his heart sank as he saw Yoosung/Iceman, in his pajamas effectively defusing his projectiles. He was too far to make out his face, but he was sure it showed as much anger, if not more, than his brothers. He kept going, brushing aside any feelings of guilt. He had to get Rogue away. He was almost to the aircraft, Mystique had lowered a harness and he just had to get to it.

He stopped and turned, facing the V-Men, he had just passed the last of the hedge wall and he began to burn it, willing the flames higher, creating enough smoke to hopefully keep Jumin from being able to navigate in the air. He made it to the harness and grabbed onto it, snapping himself into it. 

“Saeran!” he looked back as he was lifted. Saeyoung stood below him, Yoosung at his side, both had sooty faces, looking bedraggled. Saeyoung threw one of his cards and Saeran incinerated it before it came close. Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen Jumin swooping in from above him and snapping the cable with his wings. They tumbled to the ground, the weight of Rogue was lifted off him and as he hit the ground, he saw Jumin hands under Rogue, a beam from Zen just missing the aircraft as it flew off. Mystique had saved herself. His head bounced off the soft earth and he knew no more.

* * *

 

They watched him through the two-way glass. Professor V looked dejected, Saeyoung’s anger overshadowed anything else he was feeling. 

“What do you think?” he asked the Professor.

Professor V shrugged, not sure he wanted to have this conversation with Saeyoung, not while he was in this mood.

“Why didn’t you just stop him?” Saeyoung ground out through his teeth.

“You know I don’t like doing that.” Professor V was loath to use his power on others. He felt it was an invasion of the vilest sort.

“He might have gotten away!” Saeyoung protested.

“I had faith in you.”

“What about Mystique?”

“She will be back.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because they will want him back.” he motioned towards Saeyoung’s brother, who sat sullenly, glaring around the empty room, hands cuffed to the table, the collar they’d found in his jacket around his neck now.

“Why?”

“You know why.”

After a few seconds, Saeyoung nodded, “Because he is our weakness.”

Professor V nodded in agreement. “Yes, because he is our weakness.”

They settled into silence, neither truly wishing to enter the room and deal with the reality of what Saeran had done. Saeyoung couldn’t believe how far gone he was. How he’d used Yoosung, manipulated him, played on his emotions. It was no use telling himself that it had been inevitable. He had still been hopeful that his feelings were real, if only for Yoosung’s sake.

The door opened and they both turned towards it. Yoosung stepped inside, his eyes red rimmed and haunted. He closed the door behind him and painfully slid his eyes to the window that showed Saeran. His head was on the table now, as if he’d decided to take a nap. He was in his undershirt and jeans. They’d taken his heavy motorcycle boots and left him in his socks, they were mint green with an ice cream cone pattern. Yoosung noted how odd that was.

“You don’t have to be here Yoosung.” Saeyoung began.

Yoosung held up his hands, pressing his palms against the glass. Saeran’s head snapped up, his amber eyes glaring at him as if he could see him. Yoosung took a step back, his heart racing, bile rising in his throat. He swallowed painfully. Saeran dropped his head again, his expression bored once more.

“I want to talk to him.” He said simply. Saeyoung and Professor V exchanged a strained glance. Saeyoung was against it, but he could see that Professor V might say yes.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Saeyoung offered.

“I need to, for me. I’m not asking Saeyoung.” he held Saeyoung’s gaze and the red-head looked away with a small nod. Yoosung looked towards Professor V and waited. He couldn’t see his eyes behind the dark glasses, but he knew the Professor did not need to see him to know what he wanted from him. Finally, he nodded almost imperceptibly as well.

Yoosung walked out and into the room holding Saeran. The man’s head jerked up again, the same glare materializing around his eyes. He quickly dropped it when he saw it was Yoosung, and just as quickly replaced it with a hardened gaze and smirk.

“I’m surprised they sent you.” he sneered. Yoosung knew he looked like crap. He’d changed, put on a clean t-shirt and jeans, slipped on his sneakers, but he’d only run his hands through his hair and his face clearly showed signs of intense weeping. His nose felt stuffy, his tongue thick. He swallowed his tears but didn’t try and appear strong. He wasn’t strong, he was in pain, and whether it affected Saeran or not, he wouldn’t hide it.

“I’m not here for them, I’m here for me, and you.” Yoosung’s voice was hoarse and strained. He cleared it as he leaned against the door, hands behind his back.

“Me and you? Do you seriously think there is still a ‘me and you’?” Saeran cawed.

That shot a dagger through Yoosung’s heart and he felt the sting of tears once more.

“I wanted to thank you.”

“What?” Saeran leaned on the table, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Yoosung walked to the table and leaned against it, towards Saeran.

“Thank you Saeran. You’ve taught me a lot. Done what Saeyoung never could. You like that don’t you? Doing something your brother couldn’t? He always told me I was too naïve. Too trusting. That it made me an easy target.” Yoosung managed a chuckle. “But I don’t want you to think that you changed me. I like who I am, even if it means people like you will hurt me.”

Saeran’s lips thinned out, his eyes narrowed, and he sat back against the chair, away from Yoosung.

Yoosung took a deep breath and kept going. “I feel sorry for you.”

“You?!” Saeran spat, “Feel sorry for me? That’s rich.” He smirked again, crossing his arms as he sat back again. “I’m not the one crying my eyes out.” He snickered.

“True.” Yoosung nodded and sighed. “I fell for you. What I felt for you, what I still feel for you, is not something I would take back though.” Yoosung smiled sadly. “You gave me something Saeran. My first love, my first heartbreak. Whether you ever felt anything for me is irrelevant. I felt something for you. That’s what I want to thank you for. I might be more careful of who I give my heart to next time, so maybe, you did change me a little.” he shrugged, looking down and away.  “But, even if we’d made love, I wouldn’t have regretted it. If I’d given my body to you, that would have been fine, because I love you. I suppose you find that funny. We hardly know each other, right? And maybe it’s just a crush, but I don’t think so. I’ve never felt this way about anyone.” He took a deep breath and tried to keep the tears at bay.

Saeran’s eyes itched and he had to look away. He didn’t want to hear this. It would have been so much better if Yoosung had come in ranting and raving, telling him he hated him, that he could understand. What the hell was the blonde talking about? He didn’t have any regrets? Bullshit! Saeran had plenty of regrets! He suddenly felt Yoosung’s hand on his shoulder and he looked up, his amethyst eyes were so close he could see how red rimmed they actually were. He’d caused that, and he would never be able to get that look out of his mind.

Yoosung leaned in and pressed his salty lips to Saeran’s. The kiss was soft, tender, painful, and final.

“Goodbye Saeran.” Yoosung whispered as he pulled away, turning his back and walking out.

* * *

 

“I could kill him!” Saeyoung wanted to smash the glass with his fist and pummel his brother.

Professor V settled his hand on Saeyoung’s shoulder.

“Don’t be so hard on him.” He said calmly.

“How can you be so calm?! Look what he did! What he always does! I’m done Professor! I’m done trying to reach him! He’s a lost cause!”

“You don’t mean that.” Professor V tried to settle the boy. He knew he didn’t mean those words. He was just frustrated and hurt.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t mean it...!”

“Listen to me Saeyoung, you don’t know what he’s feeling. Whatever he says, he cares about you, about all of us, and whether you believe it or not, he’s racked with guilt over what he did to Yoosung.”

“I DON’T believe it! How could he? Did you hear how he treated Yoosung in there?”

“I felt it. I…hear it, it’s so loud, there’s so much pain in him I can’t believe he’s still conscious.” Professor V stuttered. The pain running through Saeran was almost debilitating. 

He could feel Saeyoung’s hesitation and denial. He wasn’t ready to hear the truth.

“Yoosung, go to him, he needs you right now.” He felt the wave of pain emanating from the blonde, whatever strength he had in facing Saeran, had washed away, leaving him an empty shell.

Saeyoung didn’t hesitate, walking out and into the hallway where he saw Yoosung on the floor, back against the wall, his knees up to his chest and a haggard attempt to breath.

“Yoosung!” Saeyoung uttered, hurrying towards him and kneeling beside him. Yoosung looked up, his face was a mask of devastation. He hiccupped and held his arms out to Saeyoung like a child. Saeyoung engulfed him, letting him sob against him. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say to comfort his friend and it only fueled his anger against his brother.

It took several minutes for Yoosung to stop his tears and calm enough for him to be able to detach himself from Saeyoung. He tried to catch his breath, his nose dribbling, spit at the corners of his mouth. The sight tore at Saeyoung.

“Sss…sssorry…”

“Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Wh…what’s going to happen to him?” Yoosung asked.

“Why are you still worried about him? He doesn’t deserve it!” Saeyoung argued.

“I... can’t stop how I feel.”

Saeyoung sighed, “You meant everything you said to him, didn’t you?”

Yoosung nodded, his breath hitching, chest heaving.

“Why? How can you…love him?”

“How can you?”

“I don’t!” he growled.

“You can’t lie to me.”

Saeyoung huffed and turned away, but he didn’t refute Yoosung’s words. What was the point? Of course he still loved his brother, but right now, he hated him more than he ever thought he could.

Yoosung pushed off from the floor and slid upwards on the wall. Saeyoung stood with him.

“You didn’t answer me, what’s going to happen to him now?”

“That’s up to him isn’t it?”

Yoosung nodded. After a few seconds of silence, he took a deep breath, getting himself under control once more.

“I should go, it’s too hard…you know?”

“Yeah, go, I promise I’ll let you know if anything changes.” Yoosung nodded curtly and walked down the hall.

“Yoosung?”

He stopped and turned around.

“You know I’m always here for you. Whatever you need. I’ll drop whatever I’m doing if you need me. Even if you just want to hang out.”

Yoosung smiled weakly, “Thanks, I know. You’re a great friend Saeyoung.” Saeyoung watched the blonde walk away and as soon as he turned the corner, he barreled into the room. Saeran’s head sprang up, and he bolted backwards, knocking his chair over when he saw the look in his brother’s eyes.

Saeyoung didn’t stop, he grabbed his brother’s shirt and shoved him against the wall. Saeran’s head bounced off and he saw stars. He tried to push Saeyoung off, but his brother was stronger, or angrier. It didn’t help that Saeran thought that this was exactly what he deserved.

“You son of a bitch! You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?! You fucking asshole!” he punched Saeran and Saeran suddenly saw red. He fought back, landing his own punch on his brother’s chin, who slammed his shoulder against his stomach and yanked him off his feet, tossing him to the floor where he instantly jumped on him, pinning his legs under him. Their arms were around each other, fighting for dominance.

“ENOUGH!” the voice was broadcast in their heads so loud it left them both rattled.

“You are not children! And this is not how we deal with things!” Professor V bellowed from the door. Jumin and Zen stood behind him. Professor V motioned for them to enter. Zen grabbed Saeyoung, whose brain was still buzzing, and pulled him out of the room. Jumin tended to Saeran, getting him back on his feet and on the chair once more. The man was holding his head, moaning in pain. Jumin stayed next to the man and waited for the Professor to decide what to do.

“Leave us.” He said.

“Professor!”

“I’m safe enough, aren’t I?” he asked Saeran, who was finally dislodging the vestiges of the voice in his head. He really hated telepaths! He wiped blood from his nose with the back of his hand and nodded slowly. He couldn’t even beat his own brother, there would be little he could do against the Professor’s power.

Jumin didn’t like it, but he trusted the Professor. He left them, closing the door behind him. Professor V took the other chair in the room and placed it opposite Saeran.

“Now, we need to talk.”

“Why? You can just take what you want.”

“You know I don’t do that. But, your mind is screaming. Why won’t you surrender to what you want?”

“And what exactly is that?” he spat on the floor, blood mixing in with his spit.

“Yoosung.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit??? What's that? Whose got time for that? Or maybe I'm just too lazy!

Saeyoung sat by her bed, watching her sleep. Professor V said she should wake up soon and needed someone to be there when she did, so she wouldn’t be afraid. Saeyoung had suggested she might prefer a woman. The professor insisted he do it however, and Saeyoung could only assume it was because he needed something to keep his mind off his brother. He welcomed the distraction. Beast was like a mother hen, hovering over them but keeping a fair distance. He tried not to think about how pathetic he must seem to have Beast treating him like a wounded animal.

Rogue, she was beautiful, with her long flowing chestnut brown hair, a thick white streak in the front. He tried not to stare, that made him seem like a creep, but it was difficult. He couldn’t understand what Professor V was thinking. This sitting around left too much time for him to run over everything in his mind continuously. He failed to see how this was a distraction. He hissed, sitting back on the chair and running his hand through his hair. It was a tangled mess. He adjusted his glasses for the millionth time and sighed heavily.

Beast tutted but said nothing. Saeyoung was at least grateful for that silence. He wasn’t feeling sociable in the least. Rogue sighed, her head turning as she woke up. Saeyoung sat up and waited for her to open her eyes. When she did, they flew wide and she sprang upwards as she scanned her surroundings. She was confused and Saeyoung tried to calm her down.

He reached for her shoulders and she fell off the bed as she tried to get away.

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed, terrified. She scooted against the wall and folded in on herself.

“It’s ok. You can’t hurt me.” he held his hands out as he knelt in front of her.

“No! You don’t understand! Don’t...! Don’t touch me!” she screeched.

“Ok, ok...” Saeyoung sat in front of her, legs crossed, and she calmed down enough to look at him. The look in her brown eyes broke his heart. He couldn’t even imagine what it was like not to be able to touch another human being, ever. She must be incredibly lonely.

“Wh... where am I?” she finally asked. Her eyes widened even further at the sight of Beast behind Saeyoung, but she kept calm. “I... I know you!” she gasped, staring from Beast to Saeyoung, something clicking behind her eyes. “You’re the V-Men! How did I get here? What’s going on?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Saeyoung asked.

“Humanity First...they...they caught me.” she whispered. “That woman!” she spat. “That vile woman had them poking and prodding me! They took blood from me every day, I was knocked out most of the time and when I began to wake up, they put me back under. I felt as if I was drowning!” she sobbed.

“That’s over now, we have you. You’re safe.” Saeyoung tried to comfort her.

“Safe?” she spat. “I’ll never be safe! And neither will anyone around me!”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Here, let me...” he reached out to her but she recoiled from him.

Saeyoung’s hand sprang out and grasped her hand, pulling her arm straight towards him. She screamed and tried to yank her hand away, but quickly stopped struggling. Saeyoung had her hand in his. Skin to skin, yet, nothing was happening.

“How...?” she was dumbfounded.

Saeyoung tapped a jet-black bracelet on her wrist that she had not even noticed. “Beast and I took apart the collar they used on you and I just refined it. You can access your power whenever you want by pressing here.” He showed her a spot and clicked it three times, letting her go immediately. Rogue’s eyes went wide as she felt the almost physical swelling of her body as her ability once more filled her.

“You’ll have to take it off and latch it back on to reactivate it. That’s so someone can’t just turn your ability off. It’s up to you to choose. It’s water resistant and I promise it won’t turn your skin green.” He grinned with a soft laugh. Rogue’s smile was genuine and relieved.

“Thank you.” She whispered almost reverently as she ran her finger around the dark ring, finding the latch, taking it off and clicking it back on almost immediately. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and began to shake with overwhelming sobs. Saeyoung gathered her into his arms as she drenched his trench coat. She was hesitating at first, reacting by trying to push him away, but then giving in with the realization that she was in contact with another human being. She finally clung to him as years of repressed emotion, fear, anger, and frustration flooded out of her.

* * *

 

Saeran lay on his bed. It was a strange way to keep a prisoner in his opinion. It was as if they didn’t fear him at all. But given the fact that he wore a fancier version of the collar Humanity First had used on Yoosung and Rogue, it wasn’t any wonder why. His powers were gone, repressed, but hey, at least his collar was fashionable. He scoffed as he remembered how his brother had presented it to him. It looked like one of the collars he used to wear years before, down to the fake buckle in the front. Whatever he had used, it was mailable enough to wrap around his throat twice. Giving him a collar instead of a bracelet was smart, it made it more difficult for him to try and figure out how it worked. Not that he hadn’t tried anyway, but looking at a reflection was not the same, plus his brother outsmarted him there too. If he fiddled too long with it, it would send a shock through him, getting increasingly stronger if he continued.

He shifted onto his side, blinking and sighing with boredom. The bed was comfortable, in fact, the entire room was pleasant. It was nestled securely in the center of the teacher’s living quarters. Unfortunately, his closest neighbor was Jumin, who always glared at him when they saw each other. He could feel the man’s penetrating gaze on his back, even when he knew he wasn’t really there. There were times when he could swear he was staring at him through the wall that separated their room. Yet that was better than looks he got elsewhere. He hadn’t seen Saeyoung since he’d set the collar on him. Mostly, V was his only visitor. It was difficult trying to lie to a telepath, but V had assured him that he was not digging through his mind. He was relatively certain he could the man in that. V was not the voyeuristic type. He wondered what it would be like to have that particular gift. Then maybe he could look into Yoosung’s mind and…he banished that thought. Yoosung was no longer his concern.

The fact that he wasn’t in chains, or in a deep dark hole, surprised him. He sneered at the V-Men’s inability to be cruel when they should be. They should have locked him up and thrown away the key. But no, they still had the unbelievable notion that he could be redeemed. He grated at the fact that he was being constantly watched, well, at least they weren’t complete morons. His eyes traveled to the security camera in the corner. He was sure there were others, but why bother looking for them. Saeyoung would just replace them if he destroyed them. Besides, he was trying to stay under the radar.

He was free to walk around the school and the gated grounds, with body guards of course. He was even encouraged to sit in on classes if he was bored. He’d tried that once, it had been a disaster with Zen tossing him out physically. Those instances were few and far between. He was being a good boy, but it chaffed. He yanked on the collar, trying desperately to bring forth his fire. Nothing happened. It was as if he wasn’t a mutant at all. It terrified him. What if prolonged exposure to the collar suppressed his mutation permanently? He had to escape, but so far, he had been unable to formulate a decent plan. Or was there a different reason he was loath to leave yet? He shook his head, dissipating those damned accusing purple eyes that followed him wherever he went.

Shifting his thinking, he tried to remember what it was like before his powers had manifested. He’d locked those memories away. Afraid to open them up and take a good long look at them. His mother had been a monster and part of him resented Saeyoung for having stopped him from killing her. There was no affection in him for her. She meant nothing to him. Just as he had never meant anything to her. His fingers slipped beneath his shirt and ran across the many scars she had left on his body. He dragged the surfacing memories back into the corner of his mind and set them on fire until they were ashes. That would hold them for a while, but not forever. He growled, annoyed, he wasn’t that scared little boy anymore, and she would never hurt him again. With or without his powers.

With a sigh he rolled over on his other side and tucked his hand under his pillow below his head pulling the covers over his shoulder. He didn’t close his eyes. His mind returned to Yoosung. He couldn’t shake the sight of him out of his head. Today had been the first time he’d seen the man in weeks. Saeran had been in the cafeteria looking for a seat that wasn’t occupied by curious, chatty students, who couldn’t seem to stop staring at him. He wondered what they said about him. They obviously couldn’t miss the fact that he was Gambit’s twin.

He was used to the stares, and the whispers, but the sight of Yoosung stopped him cold. The blonde had walked in with a group of students and they all headed towards the large buffet that had been set up in the center of the room. Yoosung hadn’t seen him at first, but when he did, his smiling face disintegrated before his eyes. He quickly turned and walked back out without another word. It was an unmistakable occurrence that lead to even more whispers and stares. Saeran had set his tray down and walked back to his room, not hungry any longer. His belly protested now, growling with need. Yoosung hadn’t looked broken hearted, in fact, he’d looked happy and healthy. He didn’t appreciate how that had felt like a blow. It shouldn’t matter, he didn’t care about him anyway.

The growling in his belly was getting louder. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, tossing the sheet aside. He pulled his shoes on and headed out to scour the kitchen. Outside his room there was a single guard, who followed behind him warily. Saeran rolled his eyes and kept heading down the dark and quiet hallway. It was late and most of the school’s inhabitants were asleep. He located the kitchen and began to open refrigerators until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a tub of ice cream and dropped it heavily on the counter. He grabbed two bowls and offered one to his guard, who refused. Saeran shrugged and put the extra bowl back. He found a spoon and opened the tub, scooping out some mint chocolate chip ice cream. Once his bowl was full, he sat on a stool and dug in.

“You’ve really fucked up, huh kid?” a voice from behind him made him jump. Fuck!

A low gravely laugh erupted from Wolverine as he sat across from Saeran.

“What the hell are you still doing here?” he deflected with a scowl.

“Nice try kid.” He grabbed Saeran’s bowl and began to scoop out the ice cream.

“That was mine!” he protested.

“Was it?” Vanderwood smirked.

“Funny!” Saeran sulkily slid off the stool to grab another bowl.

“You should really be in the brig. I tried to convince V to throw you in there, but he’s too damned nice.”

“Why am I not surprised?” He sat back down, digging in once more, burying his face in the bowl.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence. Saeran could feel the man’s eyes on him. He tried not to let it bother him, but it was getting under his skin.

“If you have something else to say, just say it!” Saeran growled, shoving his more than half empty bowl forward and crossing his arms. Vanderwood took him all in, noting the body language that denoted no matter what he said, Saeran would not hear it. He sighed and stood, taking his bowl to the sink to wash. He could hear Saeran behind him fidgeting. When he was done, he set the bowl in the dish drainer and turned towards the young man. He leaned against the sink, hands on the counter behind him. Saeran now sat forward, elbows on the counter, shoulders hunched around his ears. There was a flush to his cheeks that denoted embarrassment.

“What do you want out of life kid?”

Saeran’s amber eyes flashed up at him, a retort surely on the tip of his tongue. But he simply looked back down shaking his head.

“I see. You don’t plan to live a long one. Do you?”

Saeran shrugged, honestly, he couldn’t deny that observation. Live fast and die young. Wasn't that the saying? He never expected to survive as long as he had anyway. Yoosung’s face flashed in his mind but he dislodged it. Pushed it away, it meant nothing, he meant nothing, and never had.

He ran the conversation he’d had with Professor V in his head. He’d made a persuasive argument, but Saeran knew who he was, and what the professor suggested, was not a life that was meant for him.

“You’re an idiot.” Vanderwood pushed away from the counter and began to walk out.

“Hey! I don’t give a shit what you or anyone else thinks about me! Why do you care? Why do any of you care? I’m nothing but a low life piece of shit, right? Something to scrape off your shoes! I know what you all think, I see how you all look at me. Fuck you!” Saeran spat at his back. Vanderwood stopped, not turning around.

“But you don’t care, right?” he shot over his shoulder.

Tears sprang to Saeran’s eyes, but he willed them away, biting his lip. He listened as Vanderwood’s steps receded. Suddenly he felt terribly alone. Lonelier than he’d ever felt in his entire life. When he was young he’d had Saeyoung, then, briefly, the mutant school, finally, he’d almost felt at home with Magneto. But now, there was no one for him. Not a single person. Something dropped on the back of his hand and he glanced at it surprised. He touched it and felt the wetness just as another tear fell.

“It doesn’t have to be this way.” He swiveled in the stool, eyes wide, terrified. Yoosung stood against the door frame. His amethyst eyes were soft, his lower lip almost imperceptivity trembling. The air felt oppressive, pressing in on him. It was hard to breathe. His vision blurred. He swiped at his eyes but Yoosung was still there. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t said another word. Why was he looking at him like that? With…pity!

He dropped off the stool and walked past Yoosung without a single word, not trusting himself to open his mouth. He’d done enough damage.

“Saeran!” the pleading tone almost stopped him, but he steeled himself and kept walking. He didn’t deserve the light. Darkness was where he lived, where he belonged, where he would die.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing a little bit of JuZen!

“What’s with him?” Rogue motioned with her chin towards Yoosung.

“Iceman? Uh, that’s a long story.” Saeyoung grimaced.

“Sorry, he just, looks so sad.” Rogue’s large brown eyes swam with empathy.

“Yeah, I know.” Saeyoung swallowed and sighed heavily.

“Are you ok?” She reached out and settled her hand on his arm with trepidation. She was still shocked that she could do that, always fearing her mutation would hurt the person she touched. She breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened and gulped when Saeyoung pressed his hand over hers.

Saeyoung looked deeply into her eyes and wanted desperately to open up and spill all of his insecurities, worries, and fears. Instead, he grinned and shook his head.

“I’m fine, don’t worry, nothing can keep me down!” he laughed. Rogue’s eyebrows furrowed, obviously not convinced.

“Hey Yoosung!” he stood and motioned for Yoosung to join them. The blonde turned, eyes heavily lidded as if he’d spent countless sleepless nights, which was surely the case. He smiled warmly as he made his way to them. Saeyoung sat back down, a small needling sadness tickling his insides.

“You haven’t officially met Rogue, have you?” he stated as Yoosung sat next to the brunette. She looked up at him from under her chestnut strands.

“I prefer MC, if that’s ok.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.” Saeyoung breathed.

“It’s ok, I think I just decided that.” She shrugged her shoulders. Rogue was the mutant, MC was who she really was, and she’d never really gotten to know her.

“It’s really nice to meet you MC. Sorry I haven’t introduced myself. Usually I’m good about trying to talk to every new person.” His large amethyst eyes looked down and away. Her heart went out to him. Without thinking, she placed her hand on his arm and squeezed gently.

“You don’t have to apologize.” He looked at her gratefully, the corners of his eyes crinkling. It was obvious he smiled often. This was something. Something she didn’t know about herself. She felt compassion. Compassion for others, something she had never known before. It felt warm, inviting, comfortable. She glanced at Gambit…no…Saeyoung and something even more unexpected passed between them. She felt her face flush and she had to turn away.

“Saeyoung said you were part of the team that rescued me. I should thank you.”

“I don’t know that I did all that much, heh.” His face turned crimson and he hid behind his hands. He was adorable, and so very young for such responsibility. He looked as if he should still be in high school.

“He’s just being modest! You should have seen him! He has incredible control over his power. Much better than I do.”

“Oh please!” Yoosung rolled his eyes, his arms on the table, laughter falling from his lips. Saeyoung’s eyes sparkled and MC was impressed with how easily he livened up the mood. He caught her watching him and winked conspiratorially. She surprised herself with a giggle. Her hands slapped against her mouth, her eyes wide, blinking rapidly. Saeyoung and Yoosung stared at her for a beat before breaking out into laughter. MC’s chest bubbled with humor and spilled out to join them.

* * *

 

“I don’t trust him.” Jumin growled, staring out of the window.

“I know.” Zen answered absently as he brushed his hair slowly, making sure to swipe over every strand, and gently, so as not to break any. He glanced through the mirror at Jumin’s back, his dark wings folded against his body. He couldn’t see his face, but he was sure it was a mask of worry.

“He’s up to something, planning his escape no doubt.” He mumbled.

“I know.”

“Walking around as if he doesn’t have a care in the world!”

“I know.”

“Professor V is making a mistake! Letting him loose like that!”

“I know.” Zen answered once more, following the same script as every day since they’d captured the boy. He set his brush down and turned to face the raven-haired man. He knew exactly what was coming next.

“The guards are getting lax, yesterday I found one of them sitting with him at lunch, chatting as if they were friends!”

“Uh huh, you told me.” Zen stood and took a step towards him.

Jumin’s feathers ruffled in agitation, his fists at his side.

“I should keep an eye on him myself. I should…” he turned bumped into Zen who was standing right behind him.

“What you should do is stay right here.” The albino placed his hands on Jumin’s shoulders and held him there.

“Zen! If the Professor won’t take Saeran’s incarceration seriously, someone has to.”

“Jumin, listen to yourself, you know Professor V wouldn’t let him wander around without a plan.”

“Magneto is going to try and break him out, with all these children here, it’s a safety issue!”

“I know! And so does the Professor. You know he wouldn’t keep him here without a plan.”

Jumin shook his head and tried to pull free, but Zen only held on tighter.

“They’re going to come here. They’re going to try and get him!” Jumin huffed, exasperated.

“I think that’s what the Professor is counting on.”

“If that’s so then why is he keeping it a secret? I hate it when he keeps us in the dark! All these secrets!”

“It’s in his nature. I’m sure it isn’t easy to hear everyone’s secrets and not blurt them out. He’s had to safeguard them for so long, it’s made him secretive.”

“I don’t like it!”

“I know.”

“Stop that! I know what you’re doing!” Jumin slapped Zen’s arms away from him and turned back to the window to brood.

Zen sighed then wrapped his arms around Jumin. The man bristled, flexing his wings, but then huffed in resignation, settling his wings and visibly relaxing against him.

“I’m sorry, you know I just want you to relax and stop worrying. There’s no reason to until something happens.”

“Something will happen, and we have to be ready.”

“We will be, we are! But we don’t have to be so tense all the time.” He kissed the man’s neck and nibbled on his ear lobe. His hands ran down Jumin’s chest, his fingers dancing across his muscles.

“Zen…” Jumin breathed heavily.

“Mmhmm?” his tongue trailed down his neck and he bit into the soft flesh eliciting a hiss from Jumin before the man twirled in his arms and pushed him over onto the large bed, his grey eyes flashing like a midnight storm. Zen chuckled and scooted higher on the bed biting his lower lip as he watched the man flex his wings excitedly. He was magnificent. He recalled the first time Jumin had surprised him with affection.

It was during one of their fights of course. They always fought. Zen hated the privilege Jumin came from. That arrogant way he had of everything being owed to him. The fact that it was mostly true grated on him even more. Jumin’s eyes were always smug, confident, unapologetic. Yet his actions were often kind, modest, genuine. Which irritated him to no end. He hated the man but felt guilty about why. So they clashed, mostly because Zen saw a perceived slight. No matter how many arrows he slung at the man though, Jumin never lost his temper, never yelled back, always stayed calm, his face a mask of control. It made Zen want to strike him.

The argument became heated, at least for Zen, and he indeed felt as if he was seconds away from trying to smack that smug smirk off the man’s face. But then Jumin had stepped up to him, slipped a hand around his waist, pulling him close, the other hand digging into his hair behind his neck and pressed their lips together. A shock drove through him, leaving him unable to breathe, let alone move. When Jumin’s tongue pried between his lips he gasped, his hands finally released from their paralysis pushing at his shoulders, but only slightly. His head was getting fuzzy and the room began to spin.

It had happened so quickly he had been left stunned by his reaction. Had anyone asked him, he would have laughed and said he would probably punch Jumin in the mouth if he’d tried anything like that. Instead, he’d surprised himself with his positive reaction. In fact, he’d kissed him right back, shoving him against the wall, crushing his wings, but Jumin hadn’t complained, instead, he’d groaned appreciatively.

He sighed as Jumin straddled him now and pulled on the man’s shoulders to bring him close, his legs wrapping around his waist, the tickle of the thick feathers on his thighs.

“You’re just trying to distract me.” Jumin whispered huskily.

“Is it working?” Zen smirked.

“Always.” Jumin answered as he descended on the man, their bodies melding together familiarly.

* * *

 

“I think she likes you.” Yoosung teased bumping against Saeyoung’s shoulder as they walked slowly down the hall. Saeyoung chuckled, twirling one of his playing cards, the Joker, between his fingers, kinetic energy crackling around it.

“It’s just a crush. I’m the first person she’s been able to touch skin to skin, no wonder she’s smitten.” He reasoned.

“I don’t think so. It’s more than that. Plus, I’m pretty sure she can see right through your bullshit.”

Saeyoung gasped, “Yoosung! That mouth!” Yoosung laughed and Saeyoung was pleased to see his friend less saddened and depressed than he’d been for weeks.

“How are you doing?” his mirth died away and Saeyoung was instantly regretful for having asked the question.

Yoosung shrugged. “Sometimes I wish I could just stop caring. But to be honest, I don’t think I would change how I feel about Saeran even if I could.”

“Why?”

“I…I think I could have loved him. That’s a powerful feeling.”

“Could have?” Saeyoung pressed.

Yoosung eyed him sideways, his large amethyst eyes full of pain and visible emotion. He shrugged again and returned his gaze forward slowing even more to just a shuffle. “I don’t want to admit it out loud. Not yet. Maybe, not ever.”

Saeyoung nodded, stashing his cards back into his pocket and dropped his arm around the slightly shorter man. They walked in silence for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts about Saeran.

“He’s…he’s good. I know he is. You should have known him when he was little. The gentlest, most innocent kid. He loved listening to stories. His favorites were about pirates. His eyes would light up whenever I was able to take him out. His head was always pointed up, watching the clouds in awe. And shy! He was so shy.” They stopped in front of Yoosung’s door and Yoosung stood rapt at this newfound information.

“We were cute kids, heh…our red hair was rare enough that it made us noticeable. He would hide behind me whenever someone tried to talk to him. Actually, he would hide behind me no matter what, as if he would rather be invisible.” He fell silent as he remembered those early days.

“He was creative, always doodling with whatever he could get his hands on, even if it was just the dust on the floor.” He shook his head and focused on Yoosung once more.

“He’s still in there. I know he is, that sweet, kind, boy. He has to be! Right?” He knew he sounded desperate, but he had to believe it. He couldn’t give up on his brother completely.

Yoosung’s eyes were wet with unshed tears.

“I want to believe that too. I know what I felt wasn’t just my own wishful thinking. There is something about him that just….” He sighed, shoulders sagging. No matter what he’d said to Saeran, he didn’t think he would be able to get over the man ever. Why did that L word have to be so permanent?

“Maybe…maybe he just knows how to pull our strings.” Saeyoung shrugged dejectedly.

“You don’t mean that.”

“He’s gone so far from the little boy he used to be. I tried, I tried to help him. I tried to give him a stable life here, but he was too far gone. She broke him and I’m not sure I can reach him anymore.”

“I don’t think that’s true. I saw a different side of him. He can tell himself it was all an act, but he was a little too good at it.”

“Yoousng, I love you, but, you’re the most naïve person I’ve ever known. Look at your cousin, you believed she was a good person too, now she’s hunting us.”

“That’s different!” Yoosung balked, folding his arms and leaning against his door.

Saeyoung smirked sadly, “Maybe, but I guess we all have a blind spot for family.”

Yoosung relented, easing the tension in his body, “Maybe. But, I don’t think I’m wrong about Saeran, and you don’t either.”

Saeyoung ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his glasses. “How many times are we going to let him burn us? Are you sure he didn’t burn you to ashes already?”

“Close. But then, apparently I’m a masochist.” He chuckled, but there was no joy in his eyes. His gaze traveled down the hallway to his right, towards where he knew Saeran’s room was. He could still feel the man’s presence all around him. Sometimes it was suffocating, other times…well, he wouldn’t think about that.

“I could have told you that.” Saeyoung grinned. Laughter bubbled up in Yoosung as he felt his face turn crimson. He shoved at Saeyoung and shook his head.

“Does that blush go all the way down to your feet?” Saeyoung teased.

“Shut up!” Yoosung rolled his eyes. “What about you?” he changed the subject.

“What about me?” Saeyoung arched his eyebrow.

“And Rogue…MC.”

“I told you, she’s just…infatuated.” Saeyoung gazed at the ground, his boots shuffling around.

“I know you don’t believe that. Are you going to talk to her?”

“Of course, I’ll talk to her, the professor asked me to keep a close eye on her. To help her adjust. But, she seems pretty resilient. She’d have to be to survive this long with her mutation.”

“You’re skirting the meaning of the question.” Yoosung accused.

“I know.” He patted Yoosung on the shoulder and grinned. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and walked away with a wink over his shoulder. Yoosung shook his head and entered his room with a sigh. He hoped Saeyoung would be open to whatever was happening between him and MC. He deserved to be happy.

Now, what to do about Saeran!


	10. Chapter 10

Yoosung took a deep breath, gripping his lunch tray tighter. Ok, so, he’d crushed his heart. Right. He should be running away, not trembling as he walked towards him. But he needed to face this fear. Saeran’s hold on him could not remain, not if he eventually chose to return to Magneto. He understood that Professor V could not keep Pyro from leaving, he only hoped to curb his thinking and open his mind to a different way of seeing his future. In fact, it was Professor V who suggested he try and communicate with Saeran. He had balked at first, they very idea still painful. The more he thought about it however, the more he realized, it might help him as much as it might influence Saeran. Whether he was able to get through his tough exterior or not, he was willing to do it so that he could move on, with or without Saeran.

He set his tray down across from Saeran. The man quirked his eyebrows as he sat back, mouth slack, eyes wide with surprise. He snapped his mouth shut, licking his lips nervously and looked away.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He hissed through gritted teeth, setting his utensils down and setting his hands on his lap. He gripped the fabric of his jeans, his palms itching to ignite.

“Why.” Yoosung asked, digging into his noodles as if this was perfectly natural, even though his heart felt as if it would beat right out of his chest.

“I don’t want you here.” He growled. It hit Yoosung like a physical blow and he felt the familiar sting of tears spring to his eyes. He gulped, swallowing the pain and regained his equilibrium.

“You can leave then. Or you can talk to me like an adult.” Yoosung shot back, resuming his eating.

“Wow, you really are pathetic, aren’t you? Even after all of this, you still think there’s something between us. Listen up you annoying little boy. I don’t care about you! I don’t care about this school, and I don’t give a fuck about your feelings.” He leaned towards Yoosung, hands gripping the table.

Yoosung set down his chopsticks and squared his shoulders. His first emotions were anger, fear, sadness, but they all fell away at the absurdity of the situation. A bubble of laughter escaped, and he slapped his mouth to keep it in, but it was too late. His body shook, his belly hurt, and he finally gave in to the laughter when he saw the look on Saeran’s face.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Saeran muttered with a sneer, but his eyes were full of confusion.

“Sorry, I know…I know…” Yoosung tried to stop. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Look. I know you don’t want to talk to me.” He continued after a few deep breaths. “You’ve made it obvious you don’t want to talk to anyone. And, sure, I guess I’m still a little naïve, even after what I told you.” He shrugged. “But I’m not expecting to spark something here. I just…want to understand you.”

“What’s there to understand? I’m sure everything you need to know you already know. I’m not someone you want to be close to Yoosung.”

“Right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yoosung sighed heavily, “Nothing. Nevermind.” He thought about just leaving, what was the point if he was going to be so hostile. But then, he was still here, he hadn’t left. That was something, wasn’t it?

“Saeran…” he started again. “If you really want me to leave, I will.”

Saeran stared at him, his jaw clenching, it was easy to tell he was furiously thinking it over. In the end, he simply shrugged.

“Do whatever you want.” He began to eat again, burying his face in his bowl.

Yoosung grinned, savoring this small victory. Of course, he didn’t trust the man, certainly not with his heart, but he also couldn’t stop being who he was.

“How…how have you been? How’s your room?” he knew he sounded idiotic, especially when he glanced at the guard who was currently standing behind Saeran.

“Really?” Saeran arched an eyebrow, pulling on the collar around his neck. He rolled his eyes and went back to eating. This wasn’t going well. He decided he might as well be more direct.

“Why did you leave?”

“What?” Saeran was surprised by the question. He looked up and locked his gaze with Yoosung’s amethyst eyes. They were clear and open, yet there was something there that hadn’t been there before. Trepidation. He was well aware that was his fault, completely his fault. He swallowed and had to look away. Guilt, this horrible feeling was something he’d never felt before. Even when he’d gone against his brother.

“The school, why did you leave?”

“Why do you care?”

Yoosung shrugged, “I just want to know.”

“Trying to get inside my head?”

“Trying to understand you Saeran. Do you really think we’re better than those without a mutation? Do you really think Magneto has a better future in mind?”

Saeran shook his head and chuckled.

“You really are something else Yoosung.” There was a reluctant smile on Saeran’s face, which made Yoosung blush and look away. Damn it. He wasn’t supposed to feel these things.

“I couldn’t face him anymore. After what I’d done. The way he looked at me, like I was a broken toy he couldn’t bear to throw away.”

“Who? Saeyoung?”

“You can ask me whatever you want Yoosung. But are you sure you’re ready for the answers?” Saeran asked, eyebrows arched.

“Why are you telling me?” Yoosung questioned suspiciously.

“No point keeping it secret. And I have a feeling you don’t give up easily. You’re like that annoying little itch you can’t quite scratch.”

“You don’t have to keep being the asshole just because you think it’s cool.” Yoosung huffed, stuffing his face forcefully.

Saeran laughed, shaking his head again. He really was cute, even when he was angry. A spike of guilt shot through him again and he gulped down a chunk of shrimp as it stuck in his throat. He should leave. Just get up and leave. Yoosung was too dangerous. But he couldn’t peel himself away. Besides, once he asked all his questions and got all the unfiltered answers, Yoosung would never want to get near him again. The idea sunk like a lead stone to the pit of his stomach. He pushed the feeling away and refit the mask he had become adept at wearing.

“You said you couldn’t stand the way he looked at you. Saeyoung, right?” Saeran nodded without hesitation. “But why? What did you do?”

“He never told you?”

“No, he…”

“Never talks about me, it’s ok, I know.”

“No…not…it’s just…”

Saeran shrugged, “Doesn’t matter. I tried to kill our mother.” He finished, poking the rest of his lunch with the chopsticks, any semblance of hunger dissipating completely.

“What!?” Yoosung was truly surprised. “You’re joking! That isn’t funny Saeran.”

Saeran looked up at the naïve boy, how had he lived life as a mutant and still feel as if people were inherently good and kind.

He sneered, “I’m not joking. I lit her on fire and watched her go up like an alcoholic soaked roman candle.”

Yoosung gasped, pushing away from the table, away from Saeran. Good. That was good.

“Bb…but why?”

“You have a good relationship with your family Yoosung?”

“Yes.” He nodded, leaning back against the table, eyes wide and sad.

“Good. That’s good. Not everyone has that. Our mother was a drunk and an abuser. She took out her anger on us every day. I had it worse. Saeyoung was healthier, when we got a little older, she’d make him go out and do the things she didn’t want to do anymore. You don’t want to know what he had to do to get her cigarettes and booze. Meanwhile, I was her fucking punching bag. I still have scars around my ankles and wrists from the times she chained me up. Plenty more from other things as well. I was one of her favorite ashtrays.”

He paused to let it all sink into the blonde, who looked horrified.

“I’d had enough, and why not! I was more powerful than she ever was. She was nothing but a pathetic human being. Trash. I was doing the world a favor, she didn’t have anything to contribute besides pain and suffering.” He shrugged, “She would have been better off if he’d let me finish the job.”

“Saeyoung saved her?”

“If that’s what you want to call it. She had third degree burns all over her body, not a pretty picture, but yeah, she’s alive.”

Silence fell between them.

“And that’s why you left?”

Saeran sighed heavily, “Yes. He still loves her.”

“And you don’t?”

“Why would I?”

“Because whatever else, she’s your mother.”

“Fuck that!” Saeran slammed his palms onto the table as he spit out the curse. His guard stepped forward but Yoosung waved him away.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered faintly, he desperately wanted to lay on hand over Saeran’s, but he knew it was a mistake to do so.

“For what? For the fact that I had a shitty mother, or the fact that I wanted to kill her?”

“For the little boy who only wanted his mother’s love.”

“You’re so full of shit! What does any of that matter? That boy is dead, and good riddance! He was a pathetic loser. Sniveling in the corner, waiting for his big brother to save his ass! I saved myself! And I found a better home than this place, with it’s high ideals and moral superiority! You all think you’re better than Magneto! That you hold the moral high ground! That your way of thinking is the only way! Human’s hate us! The sooner you get that through your thick heads the better mutant kind will be! Kill or be killed Yoosung! You should know better than anyone else the lows they will stoop to. Isn’t that woman your cousin? I bet you thought she loved you and would never hurt you, well, wake up! This is what she wants to do to you.” He pulled on the collar at his throat.

“What she wants to do to all of us! Make us slaves to them!”

“You…You don’t know that!”

“Bullshit!”

Yoosung looked away, tears springing to his eyes. There was truth in Saeran’s words, but he didn’t want to admit it.

“You can stick your head in the sand Yoosung, but you know Magneto is right. It’s us, or them.” Saeran pushed his chair away from the table. Enough was enough. He stood and walked away without another word.

Yoosung wanted to call him back, but felt it was pointless. So much for trying to get him to see things his way. Instead, he’d made a better argument for his way of thinking. Yoosung shook his head. Ridiculous. There was no way he would ever believe the only way to survive was to enslave humanity. The very idea was against everything he believed in. Everything the school stood for.

* * *

 

“Can you do it?” Magneto focused his brilliant blue eyes on Mystique.

“They will be on the look out for me. I don’t see us being able to infiltrate the school. We’ll have to go in with force.” She answered candidly.

“I was afraid of that.” He sat back on his chair, twisting a cube of iron next to his head, his fingers idly tapping on his vast, heavy wooden desk.

“If I may, what makes Pyro so special that you’re considering losing some of your people?”

Magneto smirked, his thick jaw stretching at the smile. “Leverage! And information. The boy believes he is smarter than those around him, but he has yet much to learn. What tidbits he throws about I collect to make a whole picture. V has eluded me all too often. I have offered to work with him but he has rebuffed me at every turn. I have found a weakness in the school’s perimeter and security. I hate to use it to reclaim that idiot, but he is pivotal to my plans.”

“I question his loyalty! The longer he spends with his brother, the more he might be corrupted.”

Magneto laughed full throatedly, “You did not know him when he first arrived at my door. The boy has more anger in him than sense. His loyalty is without question. His desire for chaos overrules everything else within him, even his own survival. I don’t expect him to survive long. He’ll burn himself out, but before he does, I will use him as my dog.”

It was Mystique’s turn to smirk.

“What if he refuses to come?” she mused, red eyebrow arched over brilliant yellow eyes.

“If he presents a struggle and you are unable to return with him, eliminate him.”

“Are you sure?” she wasn’t sure how she felt about that order.

“He is either with us, or against us, and if  he is turned, he knows too much about our organization to let him live.”

“The V-Men will retaliate.” She warned.

“Doubtful. They will be angry, and the brother might attempt an attack, they are nothing but annoying mosquitos. Professor V’s ideals will not let him take revenge for a single lost soul. His vision would not sustain it.” Mystique nodded affirmatively. She would do as asked, it made sense. There could be no threat to them and their plans left. It was only logical.

“Take who you need, bring him back in one piece!”

“What about the girl?”

“Your only priority is Pyro. While I believe in his loyalty, you are also correct, no need to let him stay and stew in the nonsense the school will try and feed him. He belongs to me. If you should happen to be able to come away with a prize or two, I won’t be disappointed.” The curl of his lip was arrogant. A man used to getting exactly what he wanted, by force if necessary. And it so often seemed to be necessary.

“Of course, I’ll put the team together and head out.”

“I’ll upload the file for the school onto the aircraft, make sure you choose only one point of entry, we don’t want to tip our hand about how much we know. Hit them hard and fast. Extraction only. And don’t forget to wear the helms, it will eliminate telepathic ability to an extent. You will still need to fight it off.”

“Hard and fast, understood. This is going to be fun!” she skipped out of the room, her red hair bouncing off her blue skinned body. Her eyes flashing with anticipation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are getting fewer and farther between. Sorry about that. I have no idea where this fic is going! I'll be as surprised as you all.  
> As per usual, no edits! Too tired. I'll look over it tomorrow! Enjoy!!!

He gazed out the window, highly aware of the invisible mark he’d set on the outside brick. Scanning the skies had become a ritual. It was only a matter of time and he knew it. Lately however, he’d begun to wonder if he should erase that mark. He took a deep sigh and shook his head. No, he didn’t belong here and never would. He tried desperately to dislodge the image of amethyst eyes.

Unfortunately, there was very little to take his mind off things. And Yoosung had surprised him once again. He couldn’t seem to escape the man, no matter how disgusting he treated him. The guilt was eating away at him. He hadn’t thought he would be able to hate himself more than he already did. But he had sunk to a new low. It didn’t help that everyone, including his brother, treated him with nothing but respect and kindness. There was still a measure of disappointment in Saeyoung’s eyes, but mostly Saeran saw how crippled with his own guilt his brother was. The thought no longer satisfied him.

His sessions with Professor V had begun with Saeran being belligerent and uncooperative. Yet now, he found himself introspective and conflicted about his own feelings and desires. He still didn’t believe in the altruistic nature of the V-Men and the academy. Yet he was beginning to realize that it was not a black and white situation. An all or nothing ideal. His eyes flashed towards the skies once more and he opened the window, intent on erasing that mark, perhaps that would give him the time he needed to completely understand what it was that he wanted and why.

A knock on the door interrupted him and he slammed the window down. A knock simply meant there was going to be someone walking in. Sure enough, not two seconds later, the door opened.

“You decent?” Came his brother’s high-pitched voice. He always sounded like that initially. It reminded him of their childhood. The way Saeyoung always tried to make him laugh. Something hitched in his heart and instead of pushing it away, he let it overtake him. A volley of images filtered through his mind. Saeyoung valiantly attempting to keep his spirits up. Smiling, laughing, holding his hand. He gulped and squeezed his eyes, shutting out the onslaught.

“Headache again?” Saeyoung asked as he closed the door quietly and sat at the edge of Saeran’s bed. He absentmindedly pulled out his deck of cards and fiddled with them. Saeran watched his brother’s nimble fingers cut and shuffle those cards, then take one and weave it through those same fingers, the crackle of power snapping in the air. He shrugged and looked away.

“Professor V can help you with that.”

“No.” Saeran said vehemently. There was no way he would let anyone in his head willingly. Saeyoung’s shuffling stopped, a hard crackle cutting through the silence. He cleared his throat and resumed the mindless flipping.

“I just meant…”

“I know.”

The silence stretched out awkwardly.

“Saeran…”

Saeran rolled his eyes and sat against the window, crossing his arms. Here it came.

“Nevermind…” Saeyoung sighed, his shoulders sagging. And there it was again. That damned guilt! He glanced out the window again, the cloudless skies vast and unending. He barely heard when Saeyoung began to speak again. There was a shimmer against the blue of the sky, something that made your eyes want to slide sideways. Saeran swallowed, eyes growing wide as a bright flash tore through the sky making a straight line towards where he sat.

“Move!” he jumped up and tackled a very surprised Saeyoung, throwing them both onto the floor as the window and surrounding brick around it shattered, the impact was profound, the air solidifying around them and instantly knocking them out.

* * *

 

The school alarm sounded, and students quickly made their way to their assigned locations. The teachers separated into those who were in charge of protecting the students and those who needed to defend from whatever attack was happening. Yoosung sprang into action, running out of his classroom as soon as all the students were on their way to a safe space. Before he had gone ten steps to his assigned location, Professor V’s voice sounded in his head and he stopped, turned, and began to run towards Saeran’s room. His heart raced, and the hot sting of tears sprang into his eyes. Was Saeran trying to escape?

He rounded the corner and bumped into someone else. The hallway was full with milling teachers. He spotted Jumin and weaved his way towards him.

“What happened?” he asked. Jumin glanced at him and motioned towards the open door. Yoosung looked through and saw that there was no longer a back wall to the room. Saeyoung was on the ground, unmoving. He started towards him but Jumin pulled him back.

“We have to get to him!” Yoosung cried.

“There’s something in the way, the air is too dense.” Through the hole they could see Saeran’s dangling body in midair. There was something holding on to him, but it was invisible.

“Let’s go!” he grabbed Yoosung and Zen and they made their way outside as fast as they could. “There has to be an aircraft up there!” Zen stated.

“No doubt the only reason they aren’t gone yet is the need to stay invisible.” Jumin offered. Zen began to dial his visor open but Yoosung swatted his hand away.

“Hey!”

“You might hit Saeran! And what happens to him if you manage to actually hit the aircraft?”

“He’s right.” Jumin countered and Zen clamped his mouth shut with a sigh.

“What then?”  
“I can fly up there and see if I can get him down.”

“You’re not doing that!” Zen objected. “You’ll be a sitting duck!”

“We have to do something!”

“Maybe I can freeze them in place?”

“We don’t know how big the aircraft is Yoosung, I’m not sure you’ll be strong enough.”

“Even if I can get something on it, it will give Zen a target, and you can be ready to catch Saeran if he falls! We have to do something!” Saeran was slowly being pulled further and further away.

“Do it!” Jumin yelled.

Yoosung began to toss his ice above Saeran, hoping for it to hit something. After several frustrating attempts, the ice finally formed around something substantial.

“There you are you little pricks!” Zen grinned, opening his visor, his laser hit the ice, melting it off immediately. Saeran’s body bounced but stayed airborne. Other assaults began from the rest of the mutants who were able to attack from afar. Suddenly an aircraft came into view, slightly larger than a helicopter. Saeran’s body jerked as it was reeled in much faster. The assaults became fewer, as there was hesitation to harm the boy.

They could now see Mystique and others as the back of the aircraft was open. She gathered Saeran onto the aircraft and saluted. Saeran began to stir and wake. Yoosung watched as Mystique took the collar from around his neck and tossed it into a black case beside him. He took several steps forward and screamed as he resumed his onslaught, hitting Mystique in the chest with an ice bolt. She growled and pointed towards him. Something hit him on the shoulder, the searing hot pain infused his entire body as he crumpled to the ground on the brink of unconsciousness.

Everything around him slowed. He saw Jumin come into view, his wings expanding as he got ready to take flight. With an aura of surrealism, he watched as Saeyoung ran forward, his hands tossing kinetically charged cards. There were loud screams and explosions assaulting his senses. He found he couldn’t move, his eyes slowly blinking, trying desperately to clear his head. Smoke rose around him, frost, electric energy, the smell was nauseating. He flipped onto his side and threw up.

The noise rushed back in in full force knocking him to the ground again. He grabbed onto his ears but forced himself to push off and stand. There was a clear trail of smoke in the sky, but the aircraft was nowhere to be seen. The forest behind the school had burning patches that others were already working on to dampen.

“Ss..Saeran…???” he croaked.

“Gone.” Saeyoung intoned in a broken voice.

They stared in the same direction. The smoke covering the ground began to dissipate and suddenly there were renewed screams as mutants surrounded an emerging figure. All eyes focused on that figure, everyone ready to fight if they needed to.

Saeran walked through the visage of smoke, his left eye barely visible through a curtain of blood, his clothing ripped and shredded, his hair slightly singed. He walked with a pronounced limp and a pained look on his face. When he saw Yoosung he stopped and dropped the black case he was holding. Yoosung ran towards him, ignoring the grabbing hands and cautionary voices. He slammed into Saeran who grunted with pain.

“You…you’re ok?” he whispered hoarsely, before going limp and crumpling to the ground.

* * *

 

 “He loves him, doesn’t he?” MC asked, squeezing Saeyoung’s hand. She was loathe to let him go, even for a fraction of a second. She’d thought she had lost him briefly. Seeing him on the floor, unmoving, unable to get to him, had been terrifying. Her feelings had flooded through her, unforeseen, and as she asked the question about Yoosung, she had to wonder if she felt the same about this brother.

“He does. Yoosung is a romantic, I always knew when he fell, he would fall hard.” He sighed and sat back on his chair, clinging to her hand as hard as she clung to him.  

“You don’t seem pleased.” She asked, leaning against him and laying her head on his shoulder. They sat outside Saeran’s hospital room. He had been in surgery for hours. Internal injuries almost killed him. From what Saeyoung could tell, he had actually fought against the team sent to take him. In the struggle, he’d either fallen or jumped out of the aircraft as it flew over the trees, grabbing the case with the collar inside it. It was a miracle he was still alive. They had let Yoosung have time alone with Saeran, watching him sleep. None of them had slept. They had needed to force Yoosung to be seen by a doctor as well, to patch up his shoulder. As soon as it was done, he’d insisted on pacing the hall outside of the surgery wing. Once Saeran had been stabilized and sent to recovery, Yoosung had not left his side.

Saeyoung shrugged. “My best friend and my brother. If things were different, I’d be thrilled. But, even after what just happened, I’m not sure I completely trust him. I hate feeling that way.” He sighed.

“He chose you. Almost killed himself to get back here. If that isn’t enough, I don’t know what is.” She countered.

“You don’t understand him. Saeran is…different. The things he does don’t always follow logic. He’s rash, reckless, fearless, and personal gratification is his highest priority. If it feels good, do it.”

“Maybe. But I think he’s changed.”

“You don’t…”

“Know him, yes, you said. What I’ve noticed since waking up here is a man who is conflicted, angry, guilt ridden, but there is no mistaking how he looks at Yoosung, no matter how he tries to hide it. Why do you think Professor V was so adamant about getting Yoosung to communicate with Saeran so much? You can’t hide those kinds of feelings.”

“How do you know so much?” Saeyoung’s mouth quirked as he gazed at MC through the fringe of his reddish curls.

“I’ve lived for years just watching, longing for that intimacy. The kind most people take for granted. I’ve seen love turn to hate, or worse, indifference. And I’ve seen friendship turn to love. I know what I see. They love each other, but Saeran makes it difficult on purpose because he doesn’t think he deserves that kind of love. Am I wrong?” she tilted her head and arched her brow.

“No. I think you’ve captured him perfectly, in that respect.”

“But you still think he’s holding something back?”

“Always.”

MC sighed and wrapped her other arm around his waist, holding him close.

“Sounds like it’s a horrible feeling.” She whispered, tightening her grip.

Saeyoung sniffled, rubbing at his eyes. Her understanding and insight was more comforting than he could ever have imagined. She wasn’t wrong. He wanted to believe in his brother, but he’d been burned too many times. Saeran wasn’t a bad person, he just thought the world owed him for his early misfortunes, and the fact that he had power, made him feel as if he could just take what he wanted without consequences.

MC’s presence was soothing in more ways than one and he felt some guilt for enjoying her company while his brother had yet to wake up after his surgery.

“It is. I hate this feeling.” He admitted.

“What does Professor V have to say?” she asked.

“What does he have to say about what?” Professor V walked towards them and they stood as he joined them. He gripped his cane before him, with a sad smile on his face.

“I…uh…well…” MC stumbled with her words. Professor V chuckled and held up his hand.

“Nevermind. I don’t need to be a mind reader to guess what you meant.”

“It’s a good question though. I know I haven’t asked you, and I know you try not to enter anyone’s mind without their consent. But, I have to ask. Is there anything you can tell me about Saeran’s state of mind before this…happened?”

“I could. But I don’t believe that is for me to say. I won’t betray Saeran’s confidence, even if what I’ve gleaned has been mostly by accident due to his emotional outbursts.”

“Professor! This is important!”

“It is, I don’t disagree, but think about it this way, if the situation was reversed, would you appreciate me spilling your inner most thoughts and feelings?”

“It isn’t the same!” Saeyoung turned away and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“I know this is difficult Saeyoung, all I can say is, don’t give up on him. He’s worth fighting for.” Professor V set his hand on Saeyoung’s shoulder and squeezed gently. With a heavy sigh he dropped his hand and turned towards the room and the minds behind the door.

“Yoosung is in there?”

“Yes. He won’t leave his side.” MC answered, her tone terse.

“The boy is fierce in his loyalty.” Professor V grinned.

“Or thick headed.” Saeyoung’s voice dripped with disdain, making Professor V chuckle louder and shake his head.

“Perhaps that too. If you will excuse me, I need to have a few words with him.” He nodded in their direction, and with the help of his cane and his ability, he made his way into the room without the curtesy of a knock.

Yoosung turned at the sudden opening of the door but relaxed back onto the bed next to Saeran when he saw it was the Professor.

“He isn’t waking up.” Yoosung murmured, his hand busy sweeping any loose hairs behind Saeran’s ears. His fingers grazing his cheek, running along his jaw and squeezing his unresponsive hand.

“He’s going to be ok Yoosung.”

“How can you be so sure?” Yoosung’s voice cracked with emotion.

“He’s been through a lot. His body and mind need time to recover. His sleep is restorative.”

Yoosung stood and faced the professor, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

“You’re in his mind!” it wasn’t a question, it was an accusation.

“Only to keep his mind at ease, to help smooth his recovery.”

“No! You can’t! He wouldn’t want that!” Yoosung grated, his breathing getting heavier as his heart began to race. His short nails dug into his palms and frost began to crackle to his wrists.

“I don’t intend to harm him Yoosung. Mearly to ease his pain and aid him.” Professor V attempted to explain.

“I don’t care!” Yoosung screamed. “You know he wouldn’t want you to be in there! For any reason! Get out! Get out now!” he took a step forward and Professor V smirked.

“You really are something else Yoosung.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Yoosung queried, eyebrows narrowing.

“Of course not.” Professor V shook his head with a sigh, “Why do you always underestimate yourself? This idea that you don’t measure up to the rest of the V-Men has always been in your head, not based in reality. Look at you. Ready to fight even me to protect him.”

Yoosung was taken aback as Professor V used his cane to point towards his hands. He was surprised to see them covered in a thick film of ice. He flexed his hands and the ice broke away.

“Pp…Professor, I…” he was mortified.

“Don’t apologize. You’re right. Saeran would indeed be incensed that I was in his mind, no matter the reason. However, you should know, if I release him, it will cause more pain.” Yoosung muddled it over in his mind but he was sure this is what Saeran would want. He nodded to the professor, knowing the man didn’t need to see him to know he had assented.

Saeran began to whimper, his body jerking slightly, eyes squeezing shut, mouth in a grimace of discomfort. Yoousng leaned over the man, murmuring words of comfort, caressing his cheek gently. Soon enough the man’s eyebrows lost tension and he relaxed into the bed. Yoosung shot a warning look over his shoulder to the professor.

“Are you doing this?” he accused.

“No. That is all you.” Professor V smiled reassuringly. Yoosung swallowed and relaxed his own body. He was exhausted, but he wouldn’t leave Saeran.

“I’ll have them bring in a cot for you to sleep on. But Yoosung, if you don’t take care of yourself, I will be more forceful, ice or no ice.” He quipped with a grin.

“Understood…thank you.” Yoosung mumbled.

“You’re a good man Yoosung. Brave, and stronger than you think. Never change.” With that the professor walked out, leaving Yoosung to try and digest those words. Brave? Strong? He gazed at the pale visage of the man he loved, his heart beating with determination.


End file.
